MusicMatch, a maker of popular jukebox software for storing and playing music on computer, says it is starting a subscription radio service that will eventually let it sell digital songs over the Internet.
MusicMatch is the latest company to join the recent rush of Internet music initiatives, joining companies like Internet media pioneer RealNetworks and software giant Microsoft.
The new service, called Radio MX, will build on MusicMatch's existing radio feature that lets users create custom stations featuring music similar to their favorite artists, chief executive Mr Dennis Mudd said in an interview.
Boasting crisper sound, better customization, and no advertising, Radio MX will launch in a beta, or test form, today and will cost $5 a month, or $50 a year, Mr Mudd said.
"We think we can give people music that's pretty close to what they would pick themselves. We believe it's going to be the first truly successful pay music service in the world," Mudd said.
The jukebox will also be updated with better CD-burning, a new look and faster encoding of music files on computers using Pentium 4 chips from Intel.
The plan is to make songs available for download through the service by late summer. It will likely be set up so users pay for a number of downloads each month. One way songs will be delivered is through the radio playlist, so if a user likes a song, they can add it to their collection with a click.
The next task is to strike deals with record labels to actually start selling the songs, Mr Mudd said.
"The next generation is on-demand. Our strategy is to take Radio MX and then add additional features as we add licenses," Mudd said. "We've got the architecture, we've got the infrastructure, we've got the technology ... so what we need are the licenses."
Citing a new eagerness by record labels to embrace Internet music, Mudd was optimistic that he could launch the service with 20,000 to 30,000 songs by late summer and double that selection by the end of the year.