Today, MusicMatch Inc. let the world know that their amazingly popular MusicMatch Jukebox has increased its lead in the jukebox software space and remains leader in active usage time. And that lead may increase even more in the future because the company has also released Jukebox 1.0 for Macintosh users, neither Microsoft or RealNetworks make jukeboxes for the Mac platform.

An interesting fact released Media Metrix (provider of Internet audience measurement products and services) is that the number of active MusicMatch Jukebox users almost doubled between the fourth quater of 1999 and the first quarter of 2000, while the number of active users of RealJukebox actually decreased despite the dramatic rise in the number of "unique registered RealJukebox users" claimed by RealNetworks.

"As the all-in-one jukebox market continues to expand and attract a broader audience, we believe that the combination of active users and the duration of time they spend using jukebox software to enjoy their music is becoming a more important measure of success then simply amassing a registered user base that may seldom use the software," said Dennis Mudd, president and CEO of MusicMatch, Inc.

MusicMatch Jukebox 1.0 for Macintosh is finally allowing Mac users to have as much fun with digital audio as non-Mac users. Like MusicMatch's PC jukebox, the Mac version is free and is the first to offer free CD-quality recording, with a sampling rate of 320-kilobits per second.

"Until now, Mac users have been forced to pay a premium in order to benefit from the advanced MP3 recording, organization and playback features all-in-one jukebox software has to offer. MusicMatch Jukebox 1.0 for the Macintosh offers all of these features and more to Mac users in one easy-to-use package, and we're providing it to them for free," said Mudd.

Based out of San Diego, California, an estimated 6.5 million PC owners use MusicMatch's software. With the new Mac version released, 600,000 to 800,000 new users are expected to use MusicMatch.