Sony Plans Online Music Sales in Japan

Computergram International, August 13, 1999

Sony Music Entertainment Inc plans to establish the first internet music retail service in Japan by the end of the year, according to the Nihon Keizai newspaper. Music quality will be equivalent to compact disks, and prices will be in the 200 yen to 500 yen range ($1.75 to $4.35). Details of the compression protocol and payment system will follow in the fall, the report said.

In the US back in May, Sony announced that it would work with Microsoft Corp to collaborate and jointly promote software, music and video products on the web using Windows Media Technologies 4.0. It said then that the two companies would cross-market and promote each other's online properties as well as streaming audio and video events.