Microsoft has stolen a march on rival Apple by signing a deal with a digital music company backed by singer Peter Gabriel to launch the first internet download service in Europe to sell individual tracks. The new venture will be accessed through Microsoft's Windows Media Player software and will allow users to download songs from a choice of more than 200 000 by major artists.
Apple's iTunes service, which sold more than 6,5-million tracks in three months since launching in the US, has been heralded as a success because it allows users to download tracks at a set price and then copy them to CDs or portable players.
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