Posted: 11/24/03
LifeWay launches site to download Christian tunes
NASHVILLE, Tenn.–LifeWay Christian Resources last week launched a new digital music download service with no monthly subscription fees.
The Southern Baptist Convention publishing house will offer downloads of single songs for 99 cents and complete albums for $10 to $12.
The service, conducted through a partnership with online music pioneer Liquid Digital Media, is the first of its kind available through a Christian retailer.
“LifeWay is seeking to bridge the illegal-downloads divide by providing people with an easy, affordable and legal way to download their favorite Christian artists,” said Mark King, vice president of direct marketing for LifeWay Christian Stores.
LifeWay's new service requires no monthly subscription fee or special software to download. All songs are offered in Windows Media format. Once a customer purchases a song, the file can be downloaded to a PC with unlimited transfers to portable devices and burning capabilities.
Downloading songs without paying for them has been an industrywide problem for years. Illegal downloads and copying are cited as a major reason why Christian music sales have fallen for the first time in two years, according to John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association.
“Illegal downloads have been a growing problem in the Christian community, and they are causing economic harm to everyone involved in the music industry,” Styll said. “We applaud LifeWay for taking this leadership role in offering digital music downloads for purchase on the Internet, as it is a practical solution to this very real problem.”
The site address is www.lifewaystores .com/getmusic.
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