The Association of Independent Music yesterday confirmed a new deal with Napster which will see some 50,000 tracks from 50 of its 800 members made available via the Roxio owned download platform.
Tracks from Domino, Ninja Tune, Cooking Vinyl, Gut and !K7 are among those that will be made available via the deal. Music will be available to Napster's US customers as soon as the relevant file transfer work is complete, and will be available elsewhere when Napster roll out their service in Europe later this year. Both Napster and AIM now hope other European labels will sign up by making the new licence agreement available to any independent record company across the continent via pan-European trade body IMPALA.
Confirming the new deal Napster boss Brad Duea told CMU: "Napster creates the ultimate community experience for music fans and the variety, quality and originality of music from the independent UK sector is a vital to delivering this experience. The Association of Independent Music has shown great foresight in joining forces with Napster at this time and has underlined its reputation as an influential player on the international music scene."
AIM's Alison Wenham added: "Napster is going to make a big difference to music fans in the UK. At last we have a legitimate service from the world's leading online brand, which offers flexibility in streaming and downloading to music fans. It also take our music to fans around the world, confirming the promise that the internet can deliver a global business to independent artists and record companies".