According to UMG the digital tracks will be available for purchase by consumers in the US for 99 cents for individual tracks and $9.99 for albums. The technology behind the service is provided by Liquid Audio, and users will be able to preview and purchase music tracks in both the Liquid Audio and Windows Media formats.
Earlier this month, Sony announced that it has teamed up with nine distributors of digital music, including Rhapsody and MusicNet, to allow consumers to burn a limited number of songs onto blank CDs. Sony also said that it will offer users the option to buy and download singles from forthcoming albums when they are played on the radio.
In the past, most music labels attempted to sell digital downloads, in order to compete with file-swapping services. However, such downloads were only available through restrictive monthly subscriptions and the tracks would expire when subscriptions lapsed. Users were not allowed to burn songs or transfer them to portable players.