MW and dotmusic link up to create musicweek.com.

Dotmusic -- Europe's most popular consumer music website -- is to expand its services to the music industry as part of the Music Week Group.

Dotmusic parent company United Business Media had previously announced the sale of the site along-side its other consumer internet properties. However, following a strategy review, it has opted to position it alongside its long-established business-to-business music interests.

The move will further boost dotmusic's credibility by giving it access to music content from Music Week and fono, as well as content from sister titles in the US Music Player group, offering it in-depth interviews with high-profile musicians. Dotmusic is Europe's biggest music website, attracting up to 1.7m unique users per month and generating 14m page impressions, according to figures audited by ABC/electronic.

Group director Steve Redmond, to whom dotmusic will now report, says, "More music fans read dotmusic than read any of the music press. More music fans visit dotmusic than watch most music TV programmes. It is a fantastic promotional medium for music and for all youth marketers. We plan to aggressively develop the site as the biggest and best music destination on the net."

While the consumer-focused free-to-access dotmusic focuses on music, United is to launch a separate online operation -- ...