EMUSIC HAMMERS OUT KOCH,
NAIL DEALS

Downloadable music retailer EMusic.com has signed an exclusive agreement to sell digital tracks from Koch Entertainment's classical, jazz, rock, folk and pop music catalogs.

Koch's catalog includes albums from The Kinks, Smithereens, Judas Priest, Paw, John Scofield and Dee Snider, among others.

In related news, EMusic.com has struck a new strategic partnership with—and an equity investment in—NAIL Distribution, an independent music distributor based in Portland, OR.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "We are very excited about our partnership with NAIL," said Gene Hoffman, EMusic.com President and CEO. "We expect their fantastic reputation and position as a progressive voice in the music industry to help us forge exciting new alliances with both top labels and leading retailers."

A spokesman for NAIL added, "We're glad to hook up with one of the few music-related sites NOT currently being sued."

NAIL (Northwest Alliance of Independent Labels) is an alternative, independent music distribution, manufacturing, wholesale and mail order company. They service over 400 labels and offer almost 8,000 titles.