Dell sells songs

As part of its new diversification strategy, Dell – best known for PCs not pop music – has decided to jump on the digital music bandwagon with the opening of an online song shop.

The store, which will open in October in time to catch the lucrative Christmas market, will have to compete with the illegal P2P networks offering free downloads, as well as online pay per tune behemoth Apple, offering users songs for as little as 99 cents.

Dell has remained cagey over the exact details of how the shop will operate, giving nothing away on pricing, but has said there will be a wide selection of music available.

The launch of the online music store is part of Dell's plan to see the company adopting a wider-based corporate identity and will be producing a range of consumer electronic devices. Earlier this week, the PC giant announced that it would be dipping its toe into the music hardware market, with the launch of an MP3 player, also due out in October.