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AMAZON.COM

Amazon creates "content acquisition" entity, but keeps mum on details

By Eric Engleman on November 17, 2008 at 10:15 AM PST

Comments (1) | Permalink

Digital media | e-commerce | Amazon.com

Is Amazon up to something new with movies or music?

Last week I ran across an entity called Amazon Content Services LLC registered in Washington in March of this year. It describes its business as "content acquisition" but provides few other details.

Interestingly, it lists among its officers Peter Faricy, vice president of movies and music at Amazon, and Aaron Martin, an Amazon VP who was listed in a past company press release as director of print and disc on-demand services.

Amazon didn't respond to an inquiry about Amazon Content Services. The online retailer has been boosting its digital offerings in recent years, with things like the Kindle electronic book reader, audio books, and music and video downloads.

Faricy is quoted in a press release today on Amazon's launch of 100,000 new "artist stores." The stores are centered around individual musicians, selling their CDs and MP3s and providing photos, biographies, discographies, and more.

It appears to be a move to more tightly integrate Amazon's retail and digital music offerings -- and keep people browsing longer with music information and trivia.

It will be interesting to find out if Amazon Content Services is the driving force behind the new artist stores or other initiatives that have yet to be announced.

Casey Edwinson said:

on November 17, 2008 at 2:43 PM

Amazon is a fantastic distribution network for both digital and tangible items. What is lacks however is any content creation to fill the pipeline and generate additional revenue by not only being the distributor of products and services but also as the owner of the content. I would guess this division will go around scooping up digital rights to music, video and maybe even printed media?

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