Earlier today, MP3.com announced the debut of its Music InterOperating System (IOS). The system is designed to connect different aspects of the music industry and its purpose is to allow the music business to "interoperate in ways previously unavailable by connecting retailers, labels, music players, and hardware and software tools."

The driving force behind Music IOS is the new MP3.com Developers Network (MP3DN). MP3.com calls MP3DN "a resource for developers of next-generation products and services designed to enable consumer access to personal music collections from a variety of web sites or web-enabled devices." Through MP3DN program, members can qualify to participate in web-based marketing opportunities to connect their products to MP3.com's customers.

Music IOS also takes advantage of the new Beam-it software developers kit (SDK). The Beam-it SDK is designed to let developers integrate the company's Beam-it service into their software, device, or web site.

"We believe that our Music IOS can bring different segments of the music business together in entirely new ways. For example, today the act of buying a CD, playing it on a stereo, and then putting that music in an online locker consists of three separate transactions. We expect to change that process by connecting a music retailer with a device manufacturer and an online locker service in a way that will make it one transaction. That's just one example of the ways in which our Music IOS vision has the potential to streamline the music industry by integrating existing services together," said Michael Robertson, chairman and chief executive officer of MP3.com.