Music site Napster eyes UK launch

Napster no longer allows fans to swap songs for free

Music download site Napster, once one of the most infamous peer-to-peer sites on the internet, is to launch in the UK backed by retail chain Dixons.

The British launch will take place in the summer, and will be promoted in Dixons stores.

The service, which is now owned by US firm Roxio, is in competition with iTunes in the rapidly-growing market for legally-downloadable music.

Napster announced first quarter sales of more than $6.1m (£3.4m) in the US.

Roxio chief executive Chris Gorog told Reuters earlier this month Napster was scheduled to release the service in the UK by the end of the summer, which was delayed because of negotiations over licensing agreements.

Napster has yet to announce launches in other European territories, although it will also debut in Canada during the summer.

Dixons will sell Napster-branded blank CDs

Dixons will promote the new site by selling Napster-branded blank CDs, CD wallets and CD labelling kits. It will also promote the service through its own website.

In February, Napster said it had sold more than five million songs on its site since relaunching as a legitimate, royalty-paying service last October.

The original Napster song-swapping service, which had 60 million users, closed in 2001 after record companies began legal action over copyright infringements.

Napster and Apple are among several online services which let users buy single songs for about $0.99 (£0.53) and full albums for around $10 (£5.33).

Such legal sites have gained popularity in the last 12 months, leading some observers to say the music industry is winning the battle with online "pirates".