COPYCENSE

"In a move to expand its role in the online music business, Yahoo announced yesterday that it would buy Musicmatch, a company that sells music online, for $160 million.

"The move puts Yahoo in direct competition with Apple Computer’s iTunes, Microsoft’s new music store and RealNetworks in the small but growing market for online downloads of music.

"’Music is one of the most-used applications on the Web,’ said Dan Rosensweig, Yahoo’s chief operating officer. ‘Our objective is to be the leading player in the digital music world.’"

Saul Hansell. Yahoo to Challenge iTunes With New Acquisition. The New York Times. Sept. 15, 2004.

See also:
Matt Hines. Yahoo to Buy Musicmatch for $160 million. News.com. Sept. 14, 2004.

Jefferson Graham. Yahoo Breaks into Music with Musicmatch Purchase. TechNewsWorld. Sept. 15, 2004.

Update: John Borland. Yahoo to Launch its Own Music Player. News.com. Sept. 17, 2004. (Yahoo is planning on launching its own online music service by the end of this year, using Musicmatch’s customers to approach separate audiences.) 

(Editor�s Note: The Times allows free access to their stories on the Web for seven days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archive.)