4 Firms Plan to Develop Secure Music Technology

AT&T;, BMG Entertainment, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Universal Music Group will announce today a joint initiative to develop and test technology for secure digital music distribution. By combining the technical expertise of AT&T; and Matsushita Electric with the content of Universal and BMG, who together have more than 40% of the U.S. album sales, the group hopes to develop a music format that would have the flexibility of digital media while protecting the property rights of music publishers. The companies hope to have products available in time for the holiday shopping season.