Pressplay, which will charge people a monthly subscription fee to download and stream digital music, will launch through its Web distribution partnerships with Yahoo, Microsoft's MSN Music and Roxio. The service will be unveiled with a two-week free trial for 200 streams and 20 downloads. After that, pricing is set according to the number of song downloads and CD burns available.
The launch signals the latest attempt by the music industry to sell digital versions of copyrighted songs to consumers. The record labels have been in a longstanding legal battle against a flurry of Internet services such as Napster, MusicCity, Gnutella and Kazaa that allow people to swap songs for free.
Pressplay is a partnership between entertainment giants Vivendi Universal and Sony, both of which own record companies. A third major label, EMI Recorded Music, has also offered its copyrighted music to the venture.
The announcement comes soon after the service's main rival, MusicNet, began offering its service to RealNetworks and America Online users. MusicNet is a coalition between RealNetworks, AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann and EMI.
Pressplay offers the following plans:
ââ,¬Â¢ Basic: US$9.95 for 300 streams and 30 downloads
ââ,¬Â¢ Silver: US$14.95 for 500 streams, 50 downloads and 10 burns
ââ,¬Â¢ Gold: US$19.95 for 750 streams, 75 downloads and 15 burns
ââ,¬Â¢ Platinum: US$24.95 for 1,000 streams, 100 downloads and 20 burns
