Dell to bundle Universal's music with computers

PARIS - Dell Inc., the world's second-biggest maker of personal computers, agreed to sell machines preloaded with songs from Universal Music Group artists including Rod Stewart and Jay Z.

Customers can pay $25 or $50, respectively, for bundles of 50 or 100 songs Dell said yesterday.

The deal is the first of its kind in a market where Dell has struggled to match Apple Inc.'s consumer appeal, and it gives Universal Music, the world's largest music company, a new revenue stream as compact disc sales fall. In December, Nokia Oyj began offering mobile phones with a year of unlimited access to tracks from Universal Music, owned by Vivendi SA, included in the purchase price.

The companies will offer MP3 digital songs free of digital-rights management software, or DRM, allowing them to be played on any software or hardware, Dell said.

One bundle, branded "Rock Titans," features ZZ Top, AC/DC, and Meatloaf. "Sweatbands and Leotards" has music from James Brown and Kool & the Gang, according to Universal Music. More packages will be introduced in coming weeks, Universal Music spokesman Peter LoFrumento said in a telephone interview.

Apple offers Macintosh PCs with iTunes. Dell gets about 15 percent of its sales from consumers, the fastest-growing segment of the PC market.

Chief executive Michael Dell has added color models, sold computers tailored for gamers, and preloaded machines with movies including Sony Corp.'s "Spider-Man," Warner Bros.' "The Matrix," and Paramount Pictures' "Iron Man."

Dell has also hinted it would introduce portable devices, including a music player, as part of a strategy to link consumers with music, movies, and other digital content.