Loudeye hires ex-Microsoft exec

Digital content company Loudeye has hired former Microsoft executive John Martin as senior vice president of technology and development. Martin, the former general manager of Microsoft's Windows Media Services Group, will oversee the development, integration and implementation of Loudeye's digital media services and infrastructure.

Loudeye executives said in a statement that the addition of Martin will strengthen the company's services, deepen its proprietary intellectual property base and broaden its development efforts. The executive was a 10-year veteran at Microsoft, five years of which he spent in the Windows Media Division working on integrating the company's Windows operating system and the Windows Media Player.