Ticketmaster Partners With iLike

Ticketmaster has purchased a 25 percent stake in iLike.com, a site that directs users to new artists and bands, forming a strategic alliance with the social music service.

The company invested $13.3 million for the iLike shares, the companies said December 19th.

Formerly known as GarageBand.com, iLike debuted in July as a "social music discovery service."

While Garage Band connected fans seeking new independent music and bands seeking contracts, iLike incorporates mainstream acts into the picture, with iTunes-compatible applications and linking capabilities to MySpace friends.

iLike CEO Ali Partovi told the Wall Street Journal the concept of the social music site reflects changes in the way people seek out music, as fewer and fewer fans are exposed to new songs through radio airplay.

With the new alliance, users will not only be exposed to new music, but also upcoming concerts, Ticketmaster president Sean Moriarty said in the statement.

"iLike does a fantastic job facilitating the discovery and introduction of new music," Moriarty said. "iLike makes it easy for people to learn about music based on what they and their friends like and we’re eager to introduce these features to Ticketmaster customers."

"With our investment in iLike.com we look forward to a series of integrations that will introduce live events and ticket-purchase opportunities within the iLike music discovery process," he continued.

Under the deal, Moriarty will join iLike’s board of directors.