• by July 27, 2005

XM, the satellite radio service, and Napster, formerly the Web's file-sharing bad boy, are teaming up to introduce an online service that will let XM subscribers purchase music they hear on the radio service.

It's a nifty idea. XM, which now boasts 4.4 million subscribers, says the joint venture dubbed XM + Napster, will launch in the fourth quarter and that it will also market XM/MP3 players that enable music fans to bookmark tracks they hear while they listen to XM for future online purchases. Talk about multitasking! The Minute doesn't know if she can keep up with all the movin' and shakin'.

The plan is that once MP3 devices are synced up to a PC, the service will match the selected XM titles with tracks in Napster's catalog. The new service will also coordinate various personal playlists and transfer those playlists to the XM devices. XM subscribers who don't own the new devices can earmark tracks for online purchase through XM's own online service, XM Radio Online.

We'll see if the new offering actually launches in the fourth quarter or not.