German music industry plans download site
New platform to go online by mid 2003
Dusseldorf (pte028/12.02.2003/13:12) The German music industry may soon have its own communal platform for music downloads.
According to Handelblatt http://handelsblatt.com, the German industry plans to launch a new portal by mid 2003, which should initially serve as a business-to-business platform for music dealers and online services.
The driving force behind the project is Phononet GmbH http://www.phononet.de, which is owned by six music companies including Universal and Edel Music. Unlike the unsuccessful US industry download sites, the German version should offer clients a more unified and centralized business location.
German phonographic association head Gerd Gebhardt told Handelsblatt: "The music industry has understood that there must be an alternative to illegal music exchange sites."
Negotiations are being held with several providers, including Deutsche Telecom, over who should provide the technical infrastructure of the platform.
The platform will be directed at business clients looking for a ready-made music portal, which can be listed as a logo and link on their own websites.
Phononet GmbH currently runs a website called Muscline.de http://musicline.de, which could potentially be restructured as a download portal.
While the portal would show a unified face to its clients, the participating labels would individually profit from their music sales.
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