Amazon makes music with Loudeye

Amazon.com signed a deal Thursday with digital-media storage company Loudeye Technologies to host and deliver millions of song clips to the retailer's online music store. The partnership comes less than a year after Seattle-based Amazon hired entertainment data company Muze to fill the same shoes. But the Web retailer said it chose Loudeye, also based in Seattle, for the depth of its song titles, which amount to nearly 3 million samples from major record labels. "The Loudeye Sample Service offers the most extensive music catalog and the most timely access to new release material," Jeff Somers, senior merchandising manager for Amazon's music store, said in a statement.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.