THE RETURN OF MP3.COM

In a move meant to “cater to the way people learn about and listen to music today,” content company CNET today re-launched MP3.com, one of the digital-music revolution’s best-known names, as an information resource for music fans.

Seeking to be an objective media resource, the new MP3.com features editorial content designed to spur discovery of new music, while also guiding users to information on how best manipulate and store their digital music.

Features of the new MP3.com include a directory of legal download and streaming services, including 30-second clips of songs; a catalog of artists and their recordings spanning a dizzying 700 genres; a “music discovery engine” designed to recommend artists similar to users’ favorites, and links to select music content, as well as original editorial including a tech guide, tutorials and reviews.

“The launch of MP3.com is an important milestone for the music industry,” said CNET Sr. VP Games and Entertainment Vince Broady. “Consumers have never before had such an easy, intuitive way to navigate the rich, diverse world of legal music content, technologies, and services. By putting our users first and making their satisfaction our only concern, we hope to support and expand the entire market as we transition to a world where digital music consumption and distribution is a truly mainstream phenomenon.”

Last month, CNET, which publishes magazines and operates Download.com, News.com and Gamespot.com, among other sites, launched Music.Download.com, a site tailored to indie artists who wish to post their music for free download.

CNET purchased the MP3.com domain and many of its assest from Vivendi Universal last year.