MySpace, YouTube to sell music from websites

MERLIN, the new agency representing the world’s independent music sector, has agreed a deal with digital music company Snocap that will allow its labels’ music to be sold from websites such as MySpace.

The group announced the deal at the annual MidemNet music conference in France, saying it would allow thousands of independent labels across the world to sell digital downloads of their music from their MySpace pages and other sites.

Merlin was launched on Saturday to secure licensing deals with emerging media such as MySpace and YouTube. The group said it would act as the fifth major in the world with a view to rectifying the poor cousin status of deals previously offered to independent labels.

Snocap, founded by Napster creator Sean Fanning, will use its retail initiative called MyStore which enables music to be downloaded from websites. The MyStore and MySpace tie-up will launch in the near future.

The downloads will be sold in the MP3 format, meaning they can be played on any portable music player including the iPod. Apple’s iTunes can only be used with an iPod while music from such popular services as Napster and Rhapsody cannot be played on the mass-selling device.