Of course, this is another one of those “synergy” things, with each company using the other as a vehicle for promotion.

For XM it’s a chance to reach more eardrums by giving people a chance to sample 20 XM stations, as well as 130 AOL radio stations for free, and (hopefully) pay for the opportunity to listen to more than 70 XM stations.

For AOL, it’s an opportunity not only to increase its radio services for its subscribers but to increase its Web presence among non-AOL users by placing some of its proprietary content, like AOL Music Sessions and AOL Music Live, in a fee-based, non-AOL environment.

“Our focus has always been on making the most valuable interactive programming and brands easily accessible to the broadest audience,” Jim Bankoff, executive VP of programming and products for AOL, said in a statement.

MusicNet, one of the first legitimate online music services, has been sold to private equity firm Baker Capital.

MusicNet, along with Pressplay, was part of the recording industry’s answer to music piracy. While Pressplay was offered as a stand-alone service marketed directly to consumers, MusicNet’s purpose in life was to provide other Web services with music content. Wanna sell songs through your Web site? Call MusicNet.

But that was back in 2001 when both services launched. Pressplay, which at one time was called Duet, is now the technological foundation on which the current Napster was built. And MusicNet, which was founded by a consortium of tech and entertainment companies, including RealNetworks, AOL Time Warner , Bertelsmann and EMI, apparently has outlived its usefulness – at least in the eyes of one of its former owners.

“While we’re certainly proud of our history with MusicNet, we are quite pleased with the sale of our legacy investment in the company,” RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser said while announcing the sale. “When we founded MusicNet in 1999, it provided a catalyst for opening up the digital rights vaults and access to legal online music for all consumers. However, once we acquired Listen.com in 2003 and started offering services directly to consumers, MusicNet was no longer of the same strategic importance to us.”

However, Baker Capital appears quite pleased with acquiring MusicNet.

“This investment is at the core of our investment focus,” Jonathan Grabel, partner at Baker Capital, said. “In MusicNet we believe we have a winning hand – the most content, the broadest platform and the best distribution partners. These factors in the context of a wholesale model are the prerequisites to being the dominant player in the industry. We have been evaluating investment opportunities in the digital music space for several years and we believe Musicnet is best positioned to be the leader in a large and growing global market.”

What’s on President Bush’s iPod?

That was the topic of a recent column by The New York Times’ Elisabeth Bumiller, who described a presidential iPod filled with country songs as well as old rock and pop tunes just like any other baby boomer’s iPod. Except this one is carried by the Leader of the Free World.

While some of Bush’s favorite country performers, like Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and George Jones are on the player, so is Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” and songs by Joni Mitchell and The Knack.

According to Bumiller, the Bush’s iPod, which was a birthday gift from his twin daughters, has “only” 250 songs on it. However, the Prez only listens to the player. It’s up to one of his assistants to purchase songs off of iTunes and load them onto the First iPod.

Bumiller also notes in her column that while the president’s iPod includes a copy of John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” – mainly because Bush was once one of the owners of the Texas Rangers and that particular tune was a favorite at the ballpark – the player does not contain “Fortunate Son.” The antiwar anthem contains the line “Some folks are born silver spoon in hand.”

But we’ll cut the president some slack on that omission. Meanwhile, we’re still trying to wrap our brain around a visual image of President Bush rocking out to “My Sharona.” After all, what would his father say?