Online Music Wars Meet the Cola Wars

Struggling to keep pace with market leader iTunes, Microsoft on Wednesday announced it had struck a partnership with soft drink maker Coca-Cola to promote its Sprite brand through MSN Music and MSN Messenger. Also announced was an "exclusive" single from former pop icon Mariah Carey.

MSN and Sprite have also come together to premiere The Scenario, a Web site that will showcase popular hip-hop club DJs, as well as offer users a chance to download tracks heard in the mixes.

"We collaborated with MSN to develop The Scenario because it offered fresh ideas and innovative ways to fully integrate Sprite into the MSN Music service," said Geoff Cottrill, of Coca-Cola North America. "We have created an experience that embraces the passion that teens have for music and MSN Messenger."

MSN also announced it has obtained exclusive digital rights for Mariah Carey's next single, "We Belong Together." Carey has seen better days, however; her last #1 single was in 2000, and the current track from her latest album, called "It's Like That," peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart earlier this month.

The race for exclusive songs in digital music has become a big business. Apple's iTunes has successfully leveraged its size to offer more popular artists' tracks exclusively on its service, leaving competitors to take risks on smaller name acts.

Carey's new single as well as The Scenario will both be available today through MSN Music.