[Swprograms] BBC Worldwide (commercial unit of BBC) -- music service forthcoming

["Richard Cuff" <rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx>]

Not exactly World Service related, but additional ways the BBC "brand"
might find it way to you...

Thanks to Bill Bergadano for the find.

Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA  USA

--

BBC Worldwide is planning to launch a targeted web music service from
early next year, tapping the corporation's vast audio archive that
includes the Old Grey Whistle Test, the John Peel Sessions and the Six
Music hub.

Users will be able to stream tracks for free with the ad-funded
service from BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm. Digital
rights managementt-free tracks, which will play across any brand of
media player, will be available for download to own.

The streaming and downloads service will also include hundreds of
tracks recorded as part of the BBC's exclusive deal to cover
Glastonbury, as well as a bank of sessions recorded as part of the
Radio 1 Live Lounge.

BBC Worldwide's first major online music initiative will initially
offer more than 1,300 tracks and videos from BBC radio and TV shows.

But it will eventually be expanded to offer the full BBC music archive
of more than 50,000 tracks and 3,000 hours of video.

The as yet unnamed service will also be able to offer all new music
content as soon its broadcast rights for the BBC end, including
content from the iPlayer.

A BBC Worldwide spokesman confirmed the project was in development,
saying the organisation is "exploring a range of opportunities around
direct-to-consumer websites and the utilisation of the BBC music
archive along with other web content".

However, he added that the project has not yet been approved for launch.

BBC Worldwide signed a partnership with EMI in June to provide online
access to content by the music label's artists in the BBC archive and
is negotiating with three other major labels - Warner, Sony BMG and
Universal.

The service requires approval from the BBC Worldwide board, which is
expected to consider the project in the next few weeks. It is expected
to launch fully in the first half of 2009.

BBC Worldwide's new online service would be based at a standalone web
address, with display advertising as well as ads before, during and
after video content.

A source said the service would be "built in an open way so that it
would connect with the web music ecosystem".

The site's developers were aiming to build the service so that it
could "reflect the discussion about music in other parts of the web",
including connecting with users' social networking profiles and with
recommendation services such as Last.fm.

BBC Worldwide will be keen to characterise the service as a unique
offering that does not compete with commercial rivals such as Apple's
dominant iTunes store, Amazon, or Sky's planned music retail offering.

The project will not be subject to the BBC Trust's public value or
market impact tests applied to new licence fee-funded services because
BBC Worldwide operates as an independent, commercial organisation.

(source:  Radio and Internet Newsletter [http://www.kurthanson.com],
Guardian newspaper
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/27/bbc.digitalmedia])
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