PARIS -- Vivendi Universal and Sony have released more details about Duet, a pact to tie up the world's top two music catalogs and drown out Napster in the online music wars.
Viv U chief Jean-Marie Messier on Thursday pronounced: "We are getting ready to license nearly 50% of the world's total music production."
Duet, which Messier stressed was a "soft alliance," is in development in New York and will start marketing its services this summer, he told French financial daily La Tribune.
But while Duet is ready to negotiate with Napster "the day Napster respects the decision of the California judge," it is already in "more advanced discussions with other (online distribution) partners," Messier said.
Napster countermove
Indeed, the fanfare Thursday over Duet, whose initial unveiling last May created far less fuss, smacked of points-scoring over the record companies' archenemy Napster, which recently teamed up with Bertelsmann.
There are some questions hanging over Duet, however. For instance, Messier described the Sony deal as exclusive but then went on to say, "We hope others will join us." Nor was it clear whether Duet intends to license to distributors, offer a service directly to customers, or both.
On Tuesday, Napster made headlines when it offered to pay record companies a total of $1 billion over five years in exchange for dropping their copyright infringement lawsuit.
Napster also said it would remunerate record companies via a subscription charge to users.
Messier reacted coolly to the offer.
"We aren't in the habit of negotiating through interposed press conferences," he told La Tribune.
Viv U has 28% music market share while Sony has 18%.
Online pic plans
Messier also said that in tandem with its music plans, Vivendi U was pursuing online movie distribution partnerships.
"We are already working on it. I hope the cinema industry preempts and anticipates the question on online distribution right away. In that area, too, we will be aggressively on the offensive."
Meanwhile, French indie music companies were despondent Thursday about Napster's proposal and Viv U and Sony's response.
A spokesman for France's Union of Independent Producers said small music companies would have to create their own common music platform "so that there are other options."
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