British music retailer HMV has announced that its HMV Digital online music store will go live on Monday, pitting the company against not only Apple's iTunes but also Virgin Digital, which launches on Friday in the UK. An article on the Times Online Web site details HMV's subscription-based service, which will cost £14.99 (US$27.47) per month for access to a catalog containing 1.3 million songs.

HMV did not offer specific pricing for consumers who want to buy music, although the company did say it expects to sell most tracks for around 79p, with some tunes going for as little as 39p, depending on record companies' promotional plans. Albums will be approximately £7.99 ($14.64).

Songs downloaded through the HMV subscription service will be able to be burned to CD or placed on certain MP3 players, although, of course, they won't play on an iPod. John Taylor, HMV's e-commerce director, was quoted in the article as referring to the iPod as a "walled garden" because it's not compatible with any online music service except iTunes.

"We don't expect the iPod to retain the market share it has today for very much longer while it remains incompatible with the rest of the market," he told reporters assembled for a press conference.

HMV Digital will promote its launch by offering a version of The Who's "My Generation" performed by Who lead singer Roger Daltrey and the band McFly. Proceeds will benefit the Teenager Cancer Trust charity.