Listen.com and Warner Music Group have signed a second non-exclusive agreement that will enable U.S. consumers to purchase and securely burn individual tracks from the extensive catalog of WMG-controlled recordings through Listen.com's popular Rhapsody digital music subscription service. Today's news builds upon the existing agreement between the two companies, which was announced in February 2002 when WMG licensed its controlled recordings to Listen.com for inclusion in the Rhapsody service.
Subscribers to Rhapsody's "All Access" plan will also have the option to quickly and conveniently purchase tracks for 99 cents each and securely burn them to a CD-R. Using Rhapsody's intuitive CD burning software, subscribers can create custom CDs that can be played in any standard CD player. Rhapsody is the first online music service to give consumers the ability to burn tracks on a pay-as-you-go basis.
"Rhapsody subscribers can already listen to the world's largest library of digital music," said Sean Ryan, chief executive officer for Listen.com. "Our agreement with WMG will now give them the added convenience of immediately buying music they've enjoyed hearing, choosing from tens of thousands of tracks from WMG's world-renowned artists. Today's announcement is an important step forward in how consumers access and listen to music through Rhapsody."
"We're pleased to expand our relationship with Listen.com to provide consumers with more choices in how they access and purchase music from our world class artists and labels," said Paul Vidich, Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning and Business Development for Warner Music Group. "Rhapsody offers fans a unique way to experience their favorite music, and Warner Music Group is delighted to be working with Listen to give its subscribers the flexibility they expect from an online music service."
Rhapsody remains the only service to offer music from all five major music companies — BMG, EMI Recorded Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — in addition to music from more than 90 independent labels.
