Singers Morissette, Amos support MP3
Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos are the latest artists to eye the MP3 format as a way to reach fans online.
The artists on Friday said they would embark on a 26-city tour this summer that will be sponsored by controversial music download and community site MP3.com and Best Buy. And according to a report by USA Today, Morissette is planning to post live audio from her performances on MP3.com. The report added that it was not clear whether Morissette would stream songs from her performances or package them as compressed MP3 audio files.
Neither MP3.com, Morissette's publicist, Atlas/Third Rail, nor Morissette's Label, Maverick Records, would comment on the report. However, MP3.com and Atlas/Third Rail will announce a strategic partnership tomorrow that will "take advantage of all of the opportunities MP3.com and the Internet can afford, while Atlas/Third Rail will help guide MP3.com's increasing involvement in the entertainment world," the companies said in a statement.
Major artists who have tried to embrace the MP3 format largely have faced opposition from the mainstream record industry. Tom Petty recently released the single "You're a Free Girl Now" from his latest CD on MP3.com--but after two days, the single was taken down by Warner Bros. Records.
The Maverick Records label also is owned by Warner Bros. The two companies are planning tomorrow to release a statement regarding MP3.com's sponsorship of Morissette's tour and its partnership with Atlas/Third Rail. Atlantic Records, Amos's label, could not immediately be reached for comment.