HMV to Sell Digital Music Online.
HMV, the British record retailer, reached a deal with digital music service On Demand Distribution (OD2) to sell digital tracks over the Net. With over 100,000 tunes to be made available the deal marks the largest release to date of label sanctioned digital tracks in the UK. Looking at a September launch, the service makes a major record retailer a lead player in the sale of online music, an area that has faired poorly against Napster clones that are not only free, but offer a greater variety of music.