Lopez's new album will be made available online

Recod company Sony has signed up to digital music service OD2, offering access to a roster of artists which includes Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jackson and the Manic Street Preachers.

Sony has become the last of the world's five major record companies to work with OD2, joining EMI, Universal, Warners and BMG.

The company, founded by singer Peter Gabriel, allows customers to stream, download and "burn" tracks in return for a fixed monthly subscription fee.

Michael Jackson's back catalogue can be accessed

Downloaded tracks are stored on a person's PC for as long as the subscription remains active.

Burned tracks are permanent recordings that can be transferred to portable media players or burned to CD.

Subscribers can pay for further songs at a fixed cost per track.

They can also download a broad range of tracks from alternative acts via OD2's licensing deal with the Association of Independent Music (AIM).

During the next six weeks, more than 7,500 tracks from 600 Sony albums will be added to OD2's catalogue, including new releases from Big Brovaz, Good Charlotte and Kelly Rowland.

Customers use OD2's service by accessing popular general and music-related sites such as HMV, Dotmusic, MSN, MTV, Ministry of Sound and Freeserve.

Charles Grimsdale, OD2's chief executive, said the deal was a milestone for the legitimate online music industry.

He said: "We can offer consumers a true breadth of choice, as well as superior quality files - two essential planks in our fight to promote legal digital music."