Napster has just launched a legal test version

Pressplay has also signed a deal with MediaUnbound, a company set up by Harvard University students.

MediaUnbound will provide the software to enable subscribers to be given personal recommendations, based on musical tastes.

A long-term deal has also been agreed with the US performing rights organisation BMI.

Legal wranglings

The agreement gives access to 4.5 million compositions in the BMI repertoire, with royalties being distributed to the artists, composers and music publishers.

Napster was closed down in July 2001 as music publishers sued for copyright infringement.

It was expected to bounce back quickly but legal wranglings and software problems have meant other services have been able to catch up during its absence.

It has recently undergone a mini-relaunch offering only a test version to a selected group of 20,000 users.

Testers were chosen at random from millions of users who offered their services.

The test version includes more than 100,000 music files - but it does not include any major record label content.

Napster has said the full version will probably not be launched until March, by which time it expects to have some content from major labels to offer.