EMI's artists go digital online

NEWS EMI is to distribute digital music through its online retail partners. The music giant will be selling downloads using the Window's Media format. It has decided to release over 100 albums and 40 singles as part of trial starting in the US. The suggested retail price of albums will be similar to traditional retail sales, a company spokesman told silicon.com. The spokesman said the move was not a reaction to the recent industry squabbles which saw the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) suing Napster, the MP3 search software, for infringement of copyrights. Rival company, Sony Music, is currently offering some downloads for sale on the Internet in United States. It is planning to release further titles during the course of the year.