XM and Naspter have begun beta testing their co-branded service. This new service provides a single interface for listening to over 70 XM stations and linking the currently playing artist to Napster’s artist/album information and downloadable selection of MP3s. New XM/Napster integrated players are also on the way. XM subscribers can find out more and download the software here.
XM says: “XM + Napster takes XM to a new level in terms of exposing people to music and enabling them to buy the music,” said Hugh Panero, President and CEO of XM Satellite Radio. “It takes the promotional impact of radio and puts it on steroids. XM + Napster greatly enhances the discovery aspect of XM by letting people instantly purchase and download the music they hear on XM Radio Online from Napster’s catalog, dig deeper into artists’ digital music collections and use Napster’s programming expertise to discover related artists and genres. It’s a 360-degree music experience.” Songs and albums purchased from XM + Napster can be played on a variety of portable MP3 players available now. Upcoming XM/MP3 players will let subscribers listen to XM live when the players are docked in the car or at home, mark the titles of songs played on XM for easy reference in XM + Napster, and store content for a completely portable listening experience.