Universal Music Deal To Unite U.S., European SingStores

Although the U.S. and European online stores for Sony's popular SingStar franchise have up until now offered different selections, a new deal with Universal Music will now unify the two SingStores, the company announced today. "Many of you have expressed your frustration over the months on the difference in songs on the US and European SingStore," wrote technical project manager David Thatch on the PlayStation Blog. "Your voices have been heard and we’re happy to announce today that we have secured an agreement in the US with Universal Music," he added. Through the deal, consumers in both regions will be able to access the same musical content, and updates to the SingStore will be applied simultaneously across both online storefronts, he continued. Further, U.S. SingStar players will get a raft of new songs that have only been available in Europe to date. 64 songs in total will be added beginning December 15 -- artists under the relevant purview include Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne and Rihanna -- and Universal content will continue to release in 2011. SingStar has become one of Sony's most successful owned franchises since launching on the PlayStation 2 in 2004. The franchise is well past 20 million units to date, and the title has its own built-in marketplace on the PlayStation Store, developed by SCEE London. The new SingStar Dance was one of Sony's initial titles to launch this fall with Move support.