HMV download service launched with 10m songs

HMV is increasingly looking to the internet and this is reflected by the launch of a new download service in conjunction with 7digital, a digital music company.

The new service, hmvdigital, features 10m songs and is being treated as a potential rival for iTunes. Having been in testing for the last four months, the service has now officially launched with early customers perhaps benefiting from several free downloads. The current pricing is for chart singles to be 40p each and chart albums £4.99. Compatible with both PCs and Macs, the store synchronises with iTunes and Windows Media Player.

HMV Group has been making a profit after expanding into live music and merchandise, but CD sales and home entertainment are both down. The new online store should help HMV become a significant player in the digital market.

While digital downloads are increasingly popular, growing by 48 per cent in 2009, revenue is still barely a fifth of that from CD sales.