EMI has announced a partnership with Microsoft that will see music videos preloaded onto the Zune Media Player. "Apple has been an important partner in building the digital music market but any well-funded serious entrant has got to be good news for the artists and industry," Jeff Kempler, executive vice president of EMI unit Virgin Records America, told Reuters.
The deal will see UK band Hot Chip featured on the device, along with other EMI artists. Microsoft could even follow Apple"s decision to have band marketed players, especially with bands like The Music already taking part in promotions for Halo 2 last year.
While details are still sketchy about the Zune, it is certain that the launch of the player will be accompanied by an iTunes type launch of a download service. The player, which features a built Wi-Fi may even be able to share music with other devices.