Deals Pump New Life Into Project Playlist (UPDATED)

(UPDATED) Project Playlist has yet to complete the required quartet of major label deals, just lost its CEO to MySpace, and is laying off some employees, but two new deals show that the popular service is still very much in the game:

• COMES WITH PLAYLIST – The company has acquired the assets of TotalMusic, a shuttered Universal and Sony BMG owned company that had originally been created to offer a service similar to Nokia's Comes With Music. Playlist will use Total's "digital catalog management and reporting systems platform to host a streaming music service".  Blaming overlap, both companies will some employees go.
• PUBLISHERS SAY YES – Project Playlist has completed licensing deals with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and EMI Publishing

Previously, Project Playlist had completed agreements with the recording arms of both Sony and EMI.  Deals with Universal and WMG, both of whom sued Project Playlist and forced its removal from MySpace and Facebook, are rumored to be possible soon.

“With the integration of content from Sony/ATV, Project Playlist is setting the stage for a new standard of experiences for music fans – one where the playlist becomes the new interactive album,” said John Sykes, CEO of Project Playlist. “The Project Playlist team is taking the business to a new level – from major improvements in the consumer experience to the development of mutually beneficial relationships with the music industry and creation of key ways to monetize the business.”

“The relationship with Project Playlist is natural given Sony/ATV’s history of leveraging new technologies to promote our artists and songwriters,” said Martin Bandier, Chairman & CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. “Project Playlist is at the forefront of enabling labels to truly capitalize on digital music via the social web – where fans have the power to drive distribution through discovery.”