Magex Partners MusicMatch in Download Deal

Magex, the digital
commerce service from NatWest, says that UK users who download digital
music tracks protected by its technology will be able to hear
them in CD-quality sound, thanks to a deal with
MusicMatch.

The new agreement enables consumers to play their Magex protected
tracks using MusicMatch Jukebox, its personal jukebox
software. Users can pick their favourite tunes from the
Internet in MP3, compile them into a ‘dream compilation’ and listen
to them in high quality audio, similar to the sound obtained from
traditional stereo systems.

“We believe that this will encourage more record labels and artists
to distribute their music over the Internet and that Magex consumers
will be able to download a much broader range of high quality music,”
said Peter Beverley, managing director of Magex.

“MusicMatch has helped to pioneer online music distribution and now
has nearly one million people downloading software from its web
site every month.”

The new scheme is still only an experiment, however, and is
limited to the months of August and September. The full Magex
service is expected to be made available to the general public
later in the year.

MusicMatch, headquarterd in San Diego, Calif., runs one
of the worlds 50 most popular music Web sites, offering
a huge collection of downloadable music from independent
artists.