N2K Inc.’s online music store Music Boulevard was named the exclusive music seller on Infoseek Corp.’s site, the companies announced today.
Although financial terms were not disclosed, the companies said in a joint
statement that today’s news builds on a long-term marketing agreement that includes advertising and transaction-related revenue.
Under terms of the alliance, Music Boulevard is to provide Infoseek with
its entire catalog of online music content, and its community and commerce
initiatives will be featured on the Infoseek Entertainment Channel. The
music merchandiser will also be displayed throughout other Infoseek areas
including related search result pages.
Music Boulevard’s catalog contains 200,000 titles and 350,000 sound
samples available for preview prior to purchase. The site also features
search by genre, artist name, or song title name, as well as reviews, discographies and Billboard Charts. In addition, Infoseek users can narrow their searches through Music Boulevard’s channels that include Rocktropolis.com, JazzCentralStation.com, ClassicalInsites.com, and Star Sites.
N2K may be trying to play catch up with rival music e-tailer CDnow which is giving N2K a real run for its money. CDnow signed some significant deals this spring including two with portal player Lycos in April that created a $5.5 million alliance with Europe’s Lycos Bertelsmann.
That partnership came on the heels of a U.S.
Lycos-CDnow deal worth $18.5 million.
“As one of the Internet’s leading navigation services, Infoseek is
perfectly positioned to benefit from the full service online music experience
offered by Music Boulevard,” said Larry Rosen, Chairman and CEO, N2K Inc.
“The worldwide reach of Infoseek further extends Music Boulevard’s
international strategy for the global marketplace.”