eMusic.com partners with Westin to expand online music audience

In a move to win over consumers aged 25 and up to online music, eMusic.com is partnering with Westin Hotels to offer digital music that hotel guests can download to portable music players.

Westin’s more than 125 hotels will offer guests a gift code that enables them to log onto WestinMusic.com, which is a part of eMusic.com, to sign up for 50 free downloads as part of an introductory offer to an eMusic.com subscription.

EMusic, which competes in the Internet download music space with such companies as Napster and Apple’s iTunes, commissioned Richard Gehr, a specialist in international music, to design special music songtracks for Westin, covering classical, jazz and other genres intended to appeal to mature consumers. Westin Hotels will play these soundtracks in hotel lobbies and other areas, in addition to making them available for downloads through online gift codes.

While the hotel chain expects the music offerings to build loyalty among its customers as they carry the Westin Music soundtracks home on their personal media players, eMusic expects to convert the hotel chain’s guests into long-term subscribers.