The Doors' catalog goes online

One of the last remaining holdouts from the digital age has caved and agreed to allow its catalog to be sold online. The Doors are rereleasing all six albums with late lead singer Jim Morrison to the likes of iTunes and Napster this week in conjunction with the 40th anniversary release of the band's classic, self-titled debut. Each album has been remastered with new material from the original sessions by the band and engineer Bruce Botnick. Two new greatest hits collections and a raft of unreleased tracks and alternate versions will also be made available on the Web.

"Even though you get bootlegged to death, there's something good to be said for the Internet," guitarist Robbie Krieger told The Guardian. "If groups can sell their own records, that's great. I use iTunes and stuff."

Keyboard player Ray Manzarek agreed. "The delivery system is what it is," he told the paper. "If everyone is on their computers, that's fabulous. But although you gain the ease of access, you do lose the sense of an artifact."

Elton John will also today make his entire back catalogue available for digital download for the first time, initially via Apple's iTunes. The archive, spanning four decades and more than 400 tracks, is being released to coincide with his 60th birthday and a new greatest hits album. "I've wanted my music to be available for digital download worldwide for some time, but I knew that the entire catalogue--not just the hits--needed care and attention to be released in this way," John told the paper.

The Doors and Elton John leave the Beatles as one of the last remaining holdouts. The Fab Four's move online has been rumored for months, including widespread reports that the band was set to announce a deal with iTunes on Valentine's Day in conjunction with the Sir George Martin-produced Love Beatles mash-up album.

Napster inks deal with AT&T/Cingular

Although there hasn't been any news about its possible sale in months, Napster continues to trudge along, taking over the digital music subscription services for AOL Music Now and Virgin Digital. Now comes word that the subscription play has inked a deal with AT&T, the newly minted parent of wireless giant Cingular. The deal would allow Cingular customers to get free access to the Napster-To-Go portable music service for one year. The free service starts April 1 and is available to new and current AT&T wireless customers who sign up for a two-year contract and buy a Samsung SYNC music phone or BlackJack smart phone. Customers who buy a SYNC phone with qualifying data plan, as well as those who buy various AT&T triple service deals are also eligible. The songs can be transferred between computers and mobile phones.

In related-yet-dated news, German media giant Bertelsmann said this week that it has settled the last music industry lawsuit over its investment in the original, file-sharing version of Napster. Bertelsmann didn't disclose the terms of its settlement with UK label giant EMI Group, but Reuters reported that Bertelsmann was to pay $50 million to $150 million. The deal all but ends years of effort to settle scores over the program that brought file-swapping to the masses, letting more than 40 million users download music without paying for it. Bertelsmann was on the hook because it had invested in the original Napster and the major record labels sought to hold them responsible for copyright infringement.

Nike to expand its iPod-ready shoe lines

Nike plans to make all its running shoes compatible with its Nike+ iPod technology by the end of the year, meaning that all sorts of Nike enthusiasts will be able to use their iPods to monitor their workouts and potentially be monitored by others. Nike Plus is a sensor that is placed into the sole of Nike shoes, so runners with iPods can monitor how far they have gone and how many calories they have burned. Nike CEO Mark Parker revealed the plans as the company reported its third-quarter results, revealing revenue up 9 percent to $3.93 billion, up from $3.61 billion a year ago.

"Consumers want a more compelling and relevant experience wherever and whenever they shop," Parker said in a statement. "We're grabbing the opportunity to take Nike and our industry to someplace new, where consumers have experiences that are physical and digital and mobile," Parker said.

EA, Nettwerk spin off music project

Video game giant Electronic Arts and Canadian record label and management firm Nettwerk are taking their partnership to the next level. The pair said this week that they are spinning off their music efforts into a new company called Artwerk. The label will sign and develop both new and established artists for publishing, master recording, and sync deals, as well as digital and physical distribution. The LA-based label "will be actively pursuing talent in all parts of the world," the companies said.

EA and Nettwerk first connected in November 2005 in forming EA Recordings, which sought to distribute EA's in-game soundtracks to digital music services, such as iTunes. Artwerk said it has signed electronic producer Junkie XL, whose tracks recently appeared in Madden NFL 07, as its first artist.

"For the past five years, EA has been instrumental in breaking new artists, but we have been limited in our ability to grow them," EA's Steve Schnur said in a statement. "With Artwerk, we can now directly sign, develop, and launch artists for publishing, master recordings, sync deals, and beyond."

Zune hosting MIMS album release party

Zune wants to be hot. Microsoft's digital music play has aligned with rapper MIMS, whose single "This Is Why I'm Hot" held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts earlier this month. Zune is helping to put on an album release party tonight in NYC for MIMS' Music Is My Savior, his debut album.

Zune is reportedly looking to make a bigger splash in promoting up-and-coming artists, offering artists the chance for promotional integration with its Xbox video game player and other Microsoft platforms, in return for being able to associate itself with artists.

"A unique thing we are doing here at Zune is putting resources into the development of artists rather than simply selling their music in our store, employing a 'technology company as record label' mindset/philosophy," a Zune spokesperson told Wired's Listening Post blog. "We're approaching our product [device] and digital music service like a label would approach the development of a new artist...We're providing additional juice and 'ammunition' to labels and management companies in order to help break artists and giving extra assistance during the whirlwind of activity surrounding an album release."