Hewlett-Packard Co. this week announced that MusicMatch software and an EMusic.com
CD-ROM will be shipped in the box with all HP Pavilion PC models that have CD-rewritable drives.
The CD-ROM includes MusicMatch
Jukebox software, which allows users to record, organize and play digital
music, and 10 free MP3 tracks from EMusic.com.
“This music software coupled with the technology the HP Pavilion
currently offers — Polk Audio speakers, CD-RW drive and software to burn CDs
— equals a full-featured digital-music system,” said Rob Wait, worldwide product marketing manger for HP’s home products
division.
With MusicMatch Jukebox, HP Pavilion PC users can build collections of
CD-quality digital music downloaded from the Internet and recorded from music
CDs, vinyl and cassette tapes, starting with 10 free MP3 tracks from
EMusic.com, which include an eclectic range of titles spanning genres from
jazz/blues and rock/pop to alternative/punk and electronic. The CD-ROM
directly links users to the EMusic.com Web site, where they can browse and
buy from the selection of 25,000 titles. With the HP CD-Writer Plus, the
standard CD-RW drive included with HP Pavilion PCs, users can burn music onto compact discs that can be played in any CD player.
For HP (HWP), this is an extended sales maneuver. HP Pavilion PC users can take their music with them by transferring the digital tracks from their desktop PCs to a PC companion, such as the portable HP Jornada 430se Palm-size PC.
The latest palm-size PC from HP includes a built-in MP3 player, providing listeners with stereo-quality sound that extends digital-music capabilities beyond the desktop PC.