Delta's Song Plans Partnership With Labels

Reuters: It looks like Delta could be following an innovative taste-making trend set my Starbucks after it announced yesterday that it's low cost carrier Song will be entering into a music label partnership to sell albums on its long-haul flights and via retail. An airline is probably the last place most people would look to discover or purchase new music, but the company announced plans to launch its own recording label "Song Records" last May and is now planning to add Interscope to the label roster list...Under the deal, Song Records will introduce new music every quarter and the music will naturally be played on the in-flight entertainment system...I've yet to see any mention of downloads being made available on the carrier's website - which would seem like a no-brainer...Wouldn't it be kinda cool though if you could just plug your iPod into it and grab the tunes you liked most on the spot or use the touchscreen to highlight your favorite ones and have the songs waiting for you the next time you check your email? (Better yet, billing could be automatic to the credit card you used to book the flight... That kind of value-add and seamless process sure seems to work well with the telecommunications carriers and I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that by this time next year, Delta won't be flying solo in this new captivating channel...

Brooks Branch, president of Creative Branding Group, said the venture was Creative Branding's brainchild amid what he called a "scrambling" music business. "The venture helps Song, which has a large captive audience it is looking to entertain, and helps the albums, which benefit from the extra distribution."