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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that EMI Music Group is planning to launch an online music service later this year, wading into an increasingly crowded field of competitors and reviving a direct-to-consumer strategy that has historically been a loser for the major record labels. EMI’s primary goal is to gather data about customer behavior, rather than to earn money from selling music…oh really.
The biggest music companies have a mixed track record with digital-music services they own. The online services Pressplay and Musicnet, both launched by the major record labels, never got traction with consumers. The launch of Apple’s iTunes Store in 2003 sidelined them.
EMI is also a partner in the recently relaunched Myspace Music. Like that venture EMI’s music service is likely to combine streaming and paid downloads.
