October 09, 2008

By By Jen Wilson, London

U.K. online entertainment retailer Play.com has increased its weight in the competitive digital music market, confirming today that it has struck content deals which mean it is now supported by all four major record companies.

PlayDigital launched in February 2008 with catalog from EMI Music and a number of independents. Universal, Sony BMG and Warner Music have now signed up, bringing PlayDigital's total online catalog to over three million DRM-free tracks.

"It was only a matter of time before the other three major labels came on board and we now have an offer to rival that of iTunes, yet in a format that gives the consumer choice and at a more appealing price," said Wendy Snowdon, Head of PlayDigital in a statement.

"Artists including Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Snow Patrol and Razorlight are all now available through PlayDigital," she added, "and our pricing strategy ensures that we can start to steal even more market share."

Play.digital has individual tracks available from ?0.65 ($1.13), compared to ?0.79 ($1.37) on iTunes in the United Kingdom. PlayDigital is only available to users in the United Kingdom.

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