Ask Jeeves, the Internet information search site, would like to see Apple’s iTunes Music Store, Roxio’s Napster, RealNetworks’ Rhapsody, MusicMatch and Buy.com’s BuyMusic.com among others to tap its traffic base, according to an Always On article. The increasing popularity of legitimate online music store wars gives Ask Jeeves an opportunity to be an information source of music-loving consumers, CEO Steve Berkowitz said.
Ask Jeeves feels it has a chance to sell to branded-response ads to Apple’s music store, Always On reports. Already, music-related words are among the most popular terms searched at Jeeves. As the Internet culture evolves, there may be a chance for Jeeves to direct users directly to the maker or producer of specific music where they can immediately download the song in question, the article adds.
The music store considerations are part of a plan whereby Ask Jeeves is planning an “aggressive hiring spree” to expand its headcount by 10 to 20 percent over the next nine to 12 months. The search engine company, which currently has approximately 300 employees, plans to beef up product marketing and enhance the technology around its search engine Teoma, Berkowitz told Always On.