Music Distributor Buying Some of Liquid Audio's Assets

In a move that could make it easier for record companies to sell and promote songs online, the music distributor for Wal-Mart has agreed to buy some of the assets of Liquid Audio, the troubled digital music pioneer. Anderson Merchandisers, a privately owned company that is also the largest magazine wholesaler in the United States, is buying Liquid Audio's technology as well as other assets, including computers, for an undisclosed sum, according to company executives.