CDnow Buys superSonicBOOM
By Barry Willis June 6, 1998 — On June 7, CDnow, the world's top online music retailer, announced that it had acquired superSonicBOOM, an Internet custom-compilation disc business. The acquisition gives CDnow the ability to offer its customers custom discs as well as catalog product, said Jason Olim, CDnow President and CEO.

"superSonicBOOM provides us with a talented management team and custom digital capabilities that will significantly expand the level of personalization in the CDnow shopping experience. We believe this technology empowers our customers to create unique products for gifts, as well as their own listening pleasure.''

superSonicBOOM, which has licensed almost 60,000 titles, will be incorporated into the CDnow operation. "We are delighted to be part of CDnow and look forward to the mission of making a better music store even better,'' said Ted Hooban, President of superSonicBOOM. "CDnow's broad customer base and marketing power will help to establish custom CDs as a viable extension of current online retailing."

CDnow's service includes a huge collection of available music samples, and reviews from Rolling Stone Network and others, including MTV and VH1. superSonicBOOM, based in Vienna, Virginia, was the first company to market compilation CDs over the Internet.