The collaboration will debut with the launch of "XM + Napster," the first online service to provide a single interface for accessing, purchasing, and managing music from XM and Napster called "XM + Napster"
The co-branded "XM + Napster" service will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2005 in conjunction with the availability of new XM/MP3 players with XM's Connect and Play technology, which will give XM subscribers the ability to listen to XM's programming on the player, in the car or at home, store songs in the player's memory, and mark the songs they like for future reference or online purchase.
When the XM/MP3 player is connected to a PC, the "XM + Napster" service will match the marked XM song titles with Napster's music catalog; available songs can be purchased individually for on-demand listening and transferred to the player for a completely portable experience.
The "XM + Napster" service will also enable XM subscribers to manage their entire digital music collection in one location, giving them the ability to create playlists that contain music from a variety of sources.
In addition, the "XM + Napster" service will allow XM subscribers who listen to XM Radio Online.
"Napster is excited to work with XM to create a cutting-edge product that merges the best of online and satellite music into one great, integrated experience," said Chris Gorog, Napster's chairman and CEO. "'XM + Napster' will be nirvana for passionate music fans."
- Portions From an XM News Release
