Pressplay in Licensing Deal for Zomba Songs

Pressplay, the online service owned by Universal Music Group and Sony Music, is expected to announce a licensing deal today with Zomba Recording Corp., home of such teen-pop hit makers as Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

The deal, whose financial terms were not disclosed, enables Pressplay to add songs from Zomba artists to its library 90 days after they’re released on CD, said Andy Schuon, Pressplay’s chief executive. The service charges subscribers $10 to $25 a month to download or listen to a limited number of songs from an online jukebox.

Zomba, the largest independent record firm, is one of 13 companies distributing music through Pressplay, including Universal, Sony, EMI Group and TVT Records.

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Jon Healey