[Satellite TODAY 12-09-10] BSkyB admitted defeat in its attempts to develop a rival to iTunes and others in the online music market, announcing it will close its Sky Songs service in February.
    BSkyB announced the launch of the service in October 2009. The online music service initially offered access to more than 4 million tracks for download and ad-free streaming to any consumer in the United Kingdom with an active broadband connection. BSkyB had deals in place with record labels such as EMI, Sony, Universal and Warner plus a range of independent labels and distributors.
    “We’ve taken the difficult decision to close Sky Songs,” a spokesman said. “Although we are extremely proud of the service we built and the experience it offers, we just didn’t see the consumer demand we’d hoped for. As Sky Songs demonstrates, we’re a business that takes risks and innovates, but at the same time, we’re pragmatic and act decisively when a new venture isn’t working out.”