Microsoft responded quickly to Apple's recent European expansion for its iTunes service by launching its own online music service MSN Music in eight European countries.
MSN Music is now available also to users in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria and Spain. That puts MSN Music ahead of iTunes in four countries -- Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark -- as none of these countries are currently supported by iTunes (which is partly due the fact that none of them use euro as their currency). Tracks from MSN Music will cost between 0.99 euros and 1.29 euros each, whereas iTunes' tracks cost 0.99 euros each.
MSN Music's expansion to Europe was executed similarly to the service's existing presence in the UK -- via several partners. Swedish CDON.com is the Microsoft's MSN Music partner and retail channel in Nordic countries, while British OD2 will handle the operations in other four new countries. The service is available either via MSN's local portals or by using Microsoft's latest Windows Media Player 10.
Source: Reuters
MSN Music's expansion to Europe was executed similarly to the service's existing presence in the UK -- via several partners. Swedish CDON.com is the Microsoft's MSN Music partner and retail channel in Nordic countries, while British OD2 will handle the operations in other four new countries. The service is available either via MSN's local portals or by using Microsoft's latest Windows Media Player 10.
Source: Reuters
