Windows Media Player users will be able to buy music downloads from a selection of European online stores, after Microsoft Corp and OD2 teamed up to lure fans away from Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes.
The service, known as "SonicSelector," was developed by British-based download service OD2 and was unveiled on Monday at a press conference in London.
The announcement comes as OD2, long Europe's dominant download firm, and Microsoft Corp. brace for the European arrival of the iTunes Net music store, a launch that is expected to jumpstart Europe's tiny music download market.
Apple is hosting a press conference on Tuesday in London where, music industry sources said, it will announce the long-awaited European launch date for iTunes.
Over the past few weeks, Roxio Inc. has launched Napster in the UK and Sony Corp said it was readying the roll-out later this month of its Sony Connect online music store.
The recent flurry of activity is breathing some life into Europe's nascent download market. Seeing digital downloads as a major source of future music sales, rival services are beginning to jockey for consumers' attention.
Record executives, meanwhile, are anxious for a host of download services to make their European debut to sink free file-sharing networks such as Kazaa and WinMX.
Until recently, OD2 dominated the small European download market as it was one of the few services to have signed licensing agreements from all five major music labels including EMI, Universal Music and Bertelsmann's BMG.
But it now must contend with well-financed rivals. For this purpose, OD2 is using the massive installed base of Microsoft Windows Media Players to get a jump on iTunes, Napster and Sony Connect.
Beginning on Monday, music fans can download the SonicSelector software for free at http://www.sonicselector.com. It will also be available through the Web sites of OD2 retailers MSN, Tiscali, MTV and Packard Bell.
It is an upgrade to Windows Media Player, enabling users to browse select OD2-powered online music stores for tracks, then stream and download the songs and burn them onto a compact disc or transfer them to over 60 portable players that run on Windows Media.
SonicSelector carries a song recommendation engine and sells a catalogue of 350,000 tracks for 75 pence or 0.99 euro per track, and one pence and one euro cent for playback.