Wal-Mart begins offering downloaded music

NEW YORK (Wal-Mart press release) - Wal-Mart has begun an offering of songs for downloading, for 88 cents per cut. There is no subscription fee for the service. But the price isn't the most competitive for singles on the web and also it can't hit the iTunes Store: this price of 88 cents is only for 'windows format' singles - there isn't any MP3 for downloading in the Wal-Mart store.

The site musicdownloads.walmart.com posts songs in the main categories of "hot country," today's pop," "rock hits," "rap/hip hop beats" and "cool jazz."
The site also offers blues, children's music, Latin, dance, reggae, folk, soundtracks, new age and music DVDs.

Under the user agreement, customers may download the music to one computer and back up music to up to two additional computers, make 10 burns to a CD and make unlimited transfers to a portable device. Cuts cannot be uploaded to a shared music server.

Wal-Mart plans to gather customer feedback over the next few months, make modifications based on that feedback, and thenofficially launch the service in 2004.

Customers will have the flexibility to play downloaded music on their Windows PC, burn songs to a CD, or transfer music to compatible portable devices. The music files will be available in WMA format. Usage rights will be uniform across the entire catalog of music, simplifying the experience of owning downloaded music for customers.