Sony to close digital music store, drop audio format

Acknowledging that its proprietary audio technology is a marketplace flop, Sony Corp. is shuttering its Connect digital music store and opening its portable media players to other formats.

The moves were announced Thursday at a Berlin consumer electronics trade fair as the Japanese electronics pioneer unveiled a pair of digital Walkmans that can play the Windows Media Audio, MP3 and AAC audio formats.

Like rivals’ players, including Apple Inc.’s iPods, Sony’s NWZ-A810 and NWZ-S610 can play video and display photographs. Sony’s models include an FM tuner, which the iPod lacks.

Sony said it would phase out operations of its struggling Connect online store, which sold songs in the company’s proprietary ATRAC format.

“This gives customers greater flexibility in their music software approach,” the company said in a statement. “As a result, Sony will be phasing out the Connect Music Services based on Sony’s ATRAC audio format in North America and Europe.”

Sony spokeswoman Linda Barger said the new Walkman players would no longer directly support ATRAC.

“We are offering conversion software to convert ripped nonsecure ATRAC files to MP3,” she said.

In a message sent to Connect users, the service said it would not close before March, but it did not set a more specific date. The company’s Connect e-book service for the Sony Reader is not affected.

In June, Sony Connect Inc. said it was eliminating some positions as part of a restructuring plan to shift resources to other online services, but it denied reports that the move was related to a planned shutdown.