Microsoft MSN and Internet music community Cyloop have teamed up in an alliance that will have Cyloop offering its content on MSN’s portals in Latin America, the U.S. Latin market and the Sympatico/MSN portal in Canada. The strategic alliance was negotiated between MSN and Hoodiny Entertainment Group, the digital entertainment company that owns Cyloop.
As part the deal, Cyloop’s team will administer content and artist relations for the MSN sites. And Hoodiny Productions, which produces digital content for Hoodiny and Cyloop, will generate exclusive content for the MSN Cyloop channel. MSN will be in charge of marketing and selling the new service. The first MSN portal to feature Cyloop content and applications will be Mexico’s Prodigy/MSN, with other MSN divisions expected to come on board in the next several months.
Cyloop is a mix of music site and social site, which offers artist profiles, music streaming and listening recommendations among other features. The site also links to Amazon’s music store for some labels. “What we’re doing is providing the innovation of start-up to a major company,” says Hoodiny president Demian M. Bellumio.
Cyloop was originally launched as Elhood.com in 2006, billing itself as a digital enertainment site and online community with a focus on music. The bilingual site changed its name to Cyloop in 2007. In a bid to expand its reach, Hoodiny struck a deal earlier this year with terra.com in Spain, and now, with MSN.
“We’re focused on what we do best, which is creating technologies around music and creating content that is very music-centric and focused on finding the right partners to help us get our reach,” says Bellumio.
Cyloop.com will continue to run.
