Microsoft and MTV today unveiled plans to jointly develop a digital music service for users of the next-generation Windows Media Player.
The service will offer downloads of MTV programmes, original content, online radio and over two million songs from top labels.
The giants of entertainment and software announced that they are developing the service, dubbed Urge, for a scheduled consumer launch in 2006.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the offering will be designed to be incompatible with Apple's Macintosh and iPod systems.
The Urge technology will be built by Microsoft, after which ownership and operation will be taken up by MTV Networks.
Although exact pricing of the service is still subject to negotiation between the two partners, MTV stated that users will be charged according to their selection of individual song downloads or pre-paid subscriptions.
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