Listen.com has signed music distribution deals with two major record labels, giving it a long-awaited power boost in the race to create the perfect online jukebox.
The San Francisco-based company said it has signed deals with Bertelsmann"s BMG Entertainment and EMI Recorded Music, which together represent just under a third of US music sales.
Like many other online companies, Listen.com has been seeking distribution rights from the five major labels for more than a year as it refocused its business on digital music subscriptions. Its product, dubbed Rhapsody, launched in December, offering access to streams of independent-label music for a small monthly fee. The new major-label catalogues will be added to several existing options.