MP3.com, I-drive to Offer Online Storage Option

Music destination site MP3.com (Nasdaq: MPPP) announced today that it has teamed up withi-drive, a company that gives users free personal Web space, to offer a new option for downloading and storing MP3 files.

Instead of immediately downloading a file whenever they see one they like, customers can now “sideload” files to their personal drive on i-drive. Users can user this personal drive to gather, store and arrange MP3 files in private Web-based folders.

“Sideloading lets visitors collect and manage MP3 files quickly and efficiently because it’s all done on the Internet,” said Jeff Bonforte, founder and CEO of i-drive.com. “With this relationship, we’re freeing MP3.com fans from the long and cumbersome MP3 download process.”

How It Works

MP3.com visitors will now see a “Save to my i-drive” link below every downloadable MP3 file. By using this service, users will be able to grab multiple files in just seconds. I-Drive’s Sync tool will then allow visitors to download the files at a convenient time, whenever they are not otherwise using their computer.

In order to encourage MP3.com visitors to use i-drive, the company is offering them 50 megabytes of storage, which is twice the amount of a standard i-drive account. Users who already have an i-drive account will be upgraded to 50 megabytes the first time they sideload a file for MP3.com.

MP3.com features more than 154,000 songs from more than 26,000 artists. Consumers can search, sample and download music at no charge.

About i-drive

I-Drive, which is based in San Francisco and was founded in December 1998, sees itself as an extension of a user’s desktop and a new option for storing and arranging files and Web content. The privately-held company is backed by Information Technology Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Partners Group.

MP3.com Buys Into Colleges.com

MP3.com also announced today that it has invested in virtual campus site Colleges.com. Steve Sheiner, MP3.com’s executive vice president for sales and marketing, will join Colleges.com’s board of directors. Colleges.com, which has been named the top college site by USA Today, is a tour sponsor for MP3.com’s first-ever college concert tour combining technology and music. The tour started Tuesday and will end on November 17th.

“Our investment in Colleges.com represents a strategic move toward growing and developing one of our primary targetaudiences — the college student,” said Michael Robertson, chairman and CEO of MP3.com.