Music Companies Try Online Freebies to Raise Their Profile

Major music and technology companies announced the return of a promotion they tried six months ago that involved the giving away music to attract customers to their nascent Internet music businesses. In an effort to curtail the global outbreak of online piracy, a phenomenon that is chipping into CD sales, the major music labels have launched their own subscription services in the United States and partnered with third parties in America and Europe, including the United Kingdom's OD2.