Music Launch – Virgin Media & Universal get together

Virgin Media, cable TV network, owned by Richard Branson, allied with Universal, the pioneer in music media, to start a new music downloading subscription offer. This offer, being the first of its kind, will permit Virgin Media’s broadband consumers in U.K. to download any number of songs from the Universal’s collections for a nominal charge.

The music would be available in MP3 format, giving the buyers the flexibility to use it in any modern device. This offer would be made available sometime later this year and comes in the wake of company’s fight against music piracy. In spite of the fact that the company’s earnings showed an improvement of 25% as compared to that of last year, it was no where close to set off against the losses suffered on account of music piracy, which was very rampant. This timely alliance between the two companies should streamline the future of music media globally, according to Jon Kennedy, the Chairman of IFPI. The IFPI has been rapping on the knuckles of ISPs, for not trying to protect copyrighted contents on their networks.

Both the companies have decided to work jointly to bring awareness among file sharers regarding online piracy and to educate the users about legal way of doing things and to take severe steps against regular offenders. Virgin is also toying with the idea of including major music companies and their artists from U.K. in its fold, in the drive against piracy. The company was also confident that this new alliance would help British consumers to have access to world class music service in digital format.