Launch Media-NetZero Deal

Launch Media, the Santa Monica firm that runs a music-oriented Web site and CD-ROM magazine, will announce a deal today to become the exclusive music content partner for NetZero, the fast-growing free Internet service provider based in Westlake Village. Launch Chairman and Chief Executive David Goldberg wouldn’t say how much his company will pay for the premium placement on NetZero. But he did reveal that Launch bought 62,410 shares of NetZero on the day the company went public last month. That stake, purchased for $1 million, was worth nearly $1.6 million based on Net Zero’s closing price of $25.38 Tuesday, up 75 cents in Nasdaq trading. Launch shares fell 6 cents to close at $10.50 in Nasdaq trading.