WSJ surveys the online music space, following HP’s decision to manufacture and sell Apple’s iPods:
Apple: Has sold more than 30 million 99-cent songs through its iTunes Music Store, and more than two million iPods
Hewlett-Packard: Plans to distribute Apple’s iTunes software and music store on its computers, and to sell a version of Apple’s iPod
Microsoft: Has said its MSN online service will introduce a music download site sometime this year
Musicmatch: Popular music software for Windows, distributed on PCs from Dell, offers subscription radio and song downloads
MusicNet: Subscription music service with 215,000 members, available through America Online
RealNetworks: Has more than 350,000 members to its subscription music services, and introduced a 99-cent song download site this week
Roxio: Software maker that last year resurrected the outlaw Napster name with a song download and subscription service.
Sony: Will make its Connect music site, which sells 99-cent song downloads, available later this year
Wa-mart has its own music store – with songs selling for 88 cents. Quite amazing to see the competition…I wonder how companies expect to make money. Or maybe this is the first salvo in the digital home and convergence themes, and no one wants to be left out of the action.
