AOL has added a free MP3 Page to its US music service. The page will give music fans the chance to download free tracks from a range of artists, especially emerging talent. Tracks will be supplied as MP3 allowing users to transfer them to any digital music device or burn them to CD.
AOL hopes to use the new free track service to promote its other download partnerships with iTunes and MusicNet. Many of the tracks available at the launch of the new page seem to come from existing AOL promotions, though presumably they are hoping more labels will see the value of promoting their artists through the service in the future.
The new free MP3 service is part of AOL's ongoing expansion of its music services, aspects of which it recently started making available to non-AOL subscribers for the first time, opting for a sponsorship led business model. The next new service expected to be launched is a music video page, which already exists in beta form at http://aol.com/video.