LAS VEGAS -- RealNetworks Inc., the leading maker of software for playing video and audio online, has struck a deal with Seagram Co.'s Universal Music Group to offer music to download and play over the Internet.
RealNetworks, in a separate announcement Friday that was also unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show, said it had reached a pact with Sony Corp. that will allow consumers to download music from RealNetworks' software to Sony's increasing stable of portable audio players.Taken together, the two announcements represent the latest efforts to deliver music from the Web, an initiative that has been slowed by concerns about digital piracy that could result in music being easily copied and distributed online for free.
"This paves the way for the kind of comprehensive offering that will put together all the pieces people want when they buy music," RealNetworks chief executive Rob Glaser said in a keynote address. "Most consumers want the full-deal meal and this is part of getting it to them."
The agreement with Universal, the world's largest music company is particularly important. Users would be able to pay for and download music from the company's huge roster of artists, including Sting, Nine Inch Nails, Amy Grant and Andrea Bocelli.
The deal could be a blow to Microsoft Corp.'s and Apple Computer's efforts to gain market share for their own online music products.