Download prices down to 25p with EasyMusic launch

by Daniel Farey-Jones,, Brand Republic 05-Jan-05, 08:00

LONDON – EasyGroup has brought lower prices to the music download market with the launch of EasyMusic.com, featuring tracks costing 25p and upwards.

EasyMusic.com offers tracks from more than 200 record labels, including all the majors, covering a wide variety of genres, and MP3 and WMA formats. It plans to introduce free downloads of music from unsigned artists, stored in a "copyleft" section.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, EasyGroup chairman, said: "Once again the EasyGroup has reduced prices to consumers."

EasyGroup's partner in the venture is online download service Wippit, which launched in 2001.

Paul Myers, CEO and founder of Wippit, said: "EasyMusic.com is set to be the first stop for shoppers seeking value. That won't mean a compromise on quality though, just keener pricing and less restrictions on what you can do with the music you buy."

EasyMusic.com does not "tether" its downloads like some other sites, which make downloaded tracks unplayable after a customer's subscription expires or prevent the transfer of tracks from a PC to another device.

The service is being offered internationally, with sales in local currency where possible, and in US dollars otherwise.

EasyMusic.com's differentiated prices compare with the iTunes Music Store's and Tesco's 79p a download, and MyCokeMusic's 80p to £1.50.

A complaint made by consumer association Which? that Apple overcharges UK customers in comparison with continental customers was recently passed by the Office of Fair Trading to the European Commission.

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