By Dan Satherley
Warner Music has announced it may stop letting its artists' music be streamed on the internet for free.
Current deals won't be affected, but the company is reportedly rethinking its digital strategy.
"Free streaming services are clearly not net positive for the industry and as far as Warner Music is concerned will not be licensed," says chief executive Edgar Bronfman Jr.
Websites and applications like Spotify, last.fm and Grooveshark in recent years have been offering users streamed content in a variety of ways. The most common is to allow listeners free access to music with advertising, either in between songs or on the screen, with premium services available at a cost.
The latter is where Warner Music sees their future. Bronfman says the company is looking into offering a subscription service, which according to nme.com he claims would "dwarf" sites like iTunes and amazon.com.
Warner Music, one of the 'big four' record labels and whose artists include Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers and REM, posted a loss of £11 million in the last quarter of 2009.
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