EMI Launches Digital Service

Distributor EMI will become the latest company venturing in to the e-commerce world with the premiere of their upcoming digital service website, EMI.com, launching this winter.

According to Variety, the mega-distributor is constructing an online site that will allow users the ability to check out an artist and instantly be given a set of recommended artists. Focused on being more discovery-based, the company will also provide various free downloads and other promotional offers with the possibility of a social-networking feature added to its presentation.

Known for distribution of popular labels including Capitol, Virgin and Blue Note, a source told Variety the new business venture is not an attempt to contend with major music retailers.

"This is not an effort to displace iTunes, Amazon or any other retailer partner."

While details are still emerging, the overall advantage for the program will be to allow music fans to search for a particular artist using Google or Yahoo, and be given to opportunity to choose the EMI site in addition to the artist's own personal home pages or MySpace sites.

Artists under the EMI blanket include MIMS, Corinne Bailey Rae, J. Holiday, Alfamega, Fat Joe, N.E.R.D., Beastie Boys, LeToya Luckett, Cherish and others.

The EMI digital music site is currently scheduled to launch this December.

As previously reported by SOHH, the emergence of e-commerce companies has increased lately with YouTube's announcement of agreeing to work with iTunes and Amazon to help sell music and video games.

According to PC Magazine, the partnership will mean users will now have the ability to make a variety of electronic purchases with the addition of links throughout various YouTube videos. When prompted, interested buyers will be directly taken to Amazon's MP3 store or iTunes.

Google, who own YouTube - has begun the new revenue generating strategy in the United States and, based on its success, will expand the format internationally in the upcoming months.

"Our goal is to improve the overall YouTube experience by connecting consumers with relevant information and entertainment content," YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley said in a statement. "The addition of retail links will enhance the viewing experience and allow people to engage more deeply with the content they want to consume."

Appearing as the latest version of product placement, Amazon's senior manager of the company's associates program, Scott Merlino, suggests the partnership is aimed directly at interested buyers who happen to view a video and would consider purchasing the content found in it.

"Amazon.com is always looking for new ways to make discovering and buying products as convenient as possible for customers," he said in a statement. "Which is why we're excited to collaborate with YouTube."

Launching yesterday (October 8), YouTube now places embedded download links to Amazon and iTunes via content videos specifically provided by each company.
EMI Launches Digital Service
Written by Cyrus Langhorne
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:33:18 Z
Source: Sohh