Creative Technology, a provider of Personal Digital Entertainment
(PDE) solutions, has made a strategic investment in online digital
download music distributor Soundbuzz.com.
With the investment, Soundbuzz.com will boost its operations by
leveraging on Creative's strong branding and presence, channel network/
experience and installed user base in individual markets.
Mr Sudanshu Sarronwala, head and co-founder of Soundbuzz.com, described
Creative as "a global leader in PDE solutions", and said the alliance
was "a landmark moment in the digital music download environment in
Asia".
"Together with Creative, we are able to strategically target the right
consumer segment and provide the best consumer experience possible by
offering compelling and relevant content, applications and services," he
said.
"Not only can we offer the mass consumers music content, but also
compelling listening experiences through Creative's digital audio
players."
Creative's extensive line of PDE solutions includes the award-winning
Sound Blaster line of audio cards, Nomad digital audio players and Lava
interactive 3D music video software.
Soundbuzz.com has also forged a strategic alliance with Lava.com, an
Internet venture from Creative, in a collaborative effort to design and
produce custom 3D interactive Lava MusicVideos for Soundbuzz.com's
selected downloadable songs.
Soundbuzz.com will be using a portion of the investment capital to fuel
its expansion plans in Asia, sales and marketing activities and
infrastructural development.
According to Forrester Research, the digital download market is set to
explode in the next four years. The most dramatic growth in digital
download sales will be in the music sector. More than US$1
million worth of music was downloaded from the Internet in 1999 and this
represented 0.1 per cent of all online music sales. By 2004, 25 per cent
of all music sold online will be downloaded, earning music companies
US$1 billion.
Soundbuzz.com will be holding its official launch in Singapore at the
end of this month.
