MusicNet Names McGlade Chief Executive

The board of an Internet music distributor backed by three of the world’s five record conglomerates named music television executive Alan McGlade to head the fledgling online venture.

MusicNet is one of two competing online ventures being launched by the major record companies.

As chief executive, McGlade’s mandate will be to line up additional distributors for MusicNet, which is jointly owned by software maker RealNetworks and record companies AOL Time Warner Inc., Bertelsmann and EMI. The company so far has deals to provide music from the record companies on a wholesale basis to America Online, Real and Napster.

McGlade is former president and chief executive of the Box, a music video service once seen as a small high-tech rival to cable channel MTV. MTV parent Viacom later acquired the Box as part of a joint venture with Liberty Media Corp. McGlade also founded AdLink, a top cable advertising distributor.

MusicNet also said it will move its corporate headquarters to New York from Seattle.