Here's the press release and a blurb that describes the P2P service's upcoming download store:

"Initially the store will be a stand-alone website, also accessible from links in the file-sharing software. Subsequent releases will enable users to browse and purchase music directly from within the LimeWire program.

The first partners in the new digital channel are IRIS Distribution and Nettwerk Productions. These companies have signed deals with Lime Wire to provide music from their extensive catalogs."

Last month, Slyck had an interview with LimeWire that discussed its plans for a DRM-free music store and its strategy of preserving its core user base so users to not scatter to other services.

"We're building an online store to sell authorized media downloads. It will beta this fall and open in time for the holiday season. The LimeWire Store will be available from within the LimeWire program and on the Web. Search and download for the store will be centralized, not peer-to-peer. There won't be any DRM. ...

Our plan with the LimeWire Store is to add to the LimeWire experience--we're not going to take anything away. We think purchase links should appear alongside Gnutella search results, similar to how Google keeps sponsored links separate. We believe a significant number of users will choose to purchase content if the presentation is convenient and unobtrusive, the price is right, and the product isn't hindered by DRM."

LimeWire was the target of an August 2006 lawsuit by the RIAA. The company countersued a month later and described the RIAA as "a much larger conspiracy to destroy all innovation that content owners cannot control and that disrupts their historical business models."

[music jobs] Director of Content at Dada Entertainment; New York, NY.