Sony BMG joins the Amazon fray

Billboard.biz reports Sony BMG has signed on with Amazon to sell unprotected MP3 files. An exact date has yet to be set, the article says, but Sony content should be available later this month.

The Sony BMG merger in 2004 meant the consolidation of perhaps the two biggest classical music recording archives — CBS Masterworks and RCA Victor. It’s probably overly optimistic of me to think the full potential of this consolidation could be leveraged with the Amazon deal, especially given how well classical has done in the digital arena the last few years.

But I have to say, the Sony BMG holdout didn’t inconvenience me as much as the Warner Music Group holdout. I’m not as invested in the Sony artists in my collection, and if I did feel any longing, it was for BMG artists. A lot of Stephen Sondheim’s shows were recorded for RCA Victor.

I find it interesting that my interest in these deals extend to the catalog of the majors, not in their new artists. Curious?