BRIEFS
Staff -- Multichannel News, 4/9/2001
New York — MTVi Group, RioPort and the five major music labels announced a breakthrough pay-per-download music service that will launch by month's end.
Singles will cost between 99 cents and $1.99, while full CDs will cost from $11.98 to $18.98.
Two of the five major record labels — BMG Entertainment, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — have content available today, said RioPort president Jim Long. The other three labels will be online by month's end, when 10,000 songs will be available.
Nicholas Butterworth, president of Viacom Inc.'s MTVi, estimates that by year-end, 50 percent of all the music MTV: Music Television plays will be available via online pay-per-download purchase. MTV will feature the service at part of RadioMTV, which comprises 60 Internet radio channels, and VH1@Work Radio.
"Working with the labels is critical to the success of online music," Butterworth said.
For MTVi, the ultimate goal is to enable viewers to purchase the single or album of the video they've just watched via mtv.com, Butterworth said.
"We can offer a convergence music experience," he said.
