Struggling music service Mog for sale
Subscription music may be the next phase in digital distribution but it's still not big enough to support everybody. Mog seeks an exit.
Mog, a subscription music service that competes against Spotify and Rhapsody, is for sale, CNET has learned.
Mog's representatives have contacted a varying range of companies about potential interest, according to numerous sources in the digital-music sector.
Marni Greenberg, a Mog spokeswoman, had little to say. "We're constantly speaking with companies and looking for the best opportunity for our business and our shareholders," Greenberg said. "We don't comment on the specifics of those conversations."
Founded in 2005, Mog is one of the smaller players in a market segment still trying to prove itself. Rhapsody, which has been around for more than a decade, acquired the revamped Napster service in October. Adding Napster's subscribers to its own made Rhapsody the largest subscription service in the United States.
Spotify is the sector's hot upstart. The service was a phenomenon in Europe and has seen steady growth in the United States. In contrast, Berkeley, Calif.-based Mog has struggled to stand out. (Read CNET's take on the different music services.)
Meanwhile, not one of these companies has reported making significant revenue.
Some big-name artists including Coldplay, Adele, and Paul McCartney have at different times been reluctant to distribute through subscription services.