Online subscription music service pressplay said on Monday it has reached agreements with a number of independent record labels that will add artists like Frank Zappa, Nirvana and Nelly Furtado to its catalog.
Pressplay, a joint venture of the music arms of Japan’s Sony Corp. and France’s Vivendi Universal, said it signed deals with DreamWorks, Palm, Ubiquity, Rykodisc/Ryko Label Group and Sub Pop, bringing its total available songs to about 250,000.
The company also said that, starting with the Feb. 14 launch of version 2.5 of its service, it will add interactive features to its radio service allowing users to create customized radio stations.
The company will also offer 47 years’ worth of music chart data from industry magazine Billboard as of the launch of version 2.5.
“It’s a terrific way for people to discover and rediscover music that was a part of their lives over time,” Mike Bebel, the chief executive of pressplay, told Reuters.
Pressplay, which offers unlimited streaming and downloads starting at $9.95 a month and licenses content from all the major record labels, has been making progress in converting trial users to paying subscribers, Bebel said.
