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Skype strikes deals with music publishers

ZDNet.com

Skype, the free Internet calling service owned by eBay, has struck deals with three major music publishers to distribute hundreds of thousands of songs as ring tones.

The agreements, announced Tuesday, are with EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Warner/Chappell Music. Skype also signed a deal with the MCPS-PRS Alliance, a U.K.-based organization that collects license fees and distributes royalties generated from recorded music.

Skype's new license agreements allow the company to distribute ring tones from Warner Music Group artists. Skype users can use the ring tones on their PCs or smart phone running Skype software for playback when they receive incoming calls.

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