Universal offers songs to Streamwaves

Universal Music Group says it will offer a collection of songs to streaming media company Streamwaves for its upcoming music subscription service. Under the nonexclusive licensing deal, Universal said it will license to Streamwaves song titles from its U.S. catalog, which includes thousands of artists across all genres. Streamwaves' streaming subscription service, which is expected to launch in the summer, will offer people the ability to stream an unlimited number of tracks from any Internet-enabled device as well as certain portable devices. Universal Music Group eLabs President Larry Kenswil said the company sealed the deal with Streamwaves because Universal is "always looking for new ways to expand the reach of our artists' music." He added that Universal also has licensed deals with FullAudio and Pressplay. Last year, Universal Music Group signed a deal with Streamwaves to license Christian-Gospel titles to be streamed on Streamwaves' music service, dubbed HigherWaves. Streamwaves said it has licensing deals with other record labels, including EMI Recorded Music, EMI CMG Publishing, Harry Fox Agency, Broadcast Music Inc. and others. --Gwendolyn Mariano, Special to ZDNet News