Microsoft and Epic Records duet

Microsoft and Epic Records announced an agreement to offer one year of free music and music videos to all Xbox 360 gamers, as part of its Xbox Live efforts. The service, which launched Thursday, will showcase 12 artists through the Xbox Live Artist of the Month program.

Users of the service will be able to download the featured music videos from the Xbox Live Marketplace and receive other benefits, such as artist interviews, that can be viewed from their Xbox 360 system. Details are not yet available on whether Microsoft plans to charge for the service after the one-year promotion is completed.