Listen.com strikes deals with indies

Online music service provider Listen.com said it has struck licensing deals from a host of independent labels including Monarch Records and Heyday Records. Under the agreements, the company will be able to offer songs from these labels on its new digital-music subscription service, dubbed Rhapsody. Listen.com said Rhapsody, which is expected to launch this fall, will offer songs from artists such as 10,000 Maniacs, the Rembrandts and Duke Ellington.

The company said it also has secured licensing agreements from Alligator Records, Bar/None Records, Bloodshot Records, Eighteenth Street Lounge Music and Om Records, among others. Listen.com has been gravitating from its music portal for consumers to a service that syndicates Net radio and music classifications to other Web sites and offline businesses. The company expects to license Rhapsody to its distribution partners.