[4][5] Originally created as a subsidiary of Telebase Systems by its CEO Jim Coane,[6] N2K's MusicBlvd went public in October 1997.
[7] The website offered more than 300,000 music titles and generated more than 80 million views in its first quarter.
[8] In 1998 Music Boulevard was described by The Boston Globe as one of the "big three" online music sellers alongside CDNow and Amazon.com, and it was lauded for its extras including artist biographies, reviews, and feature stories from national music publications.
[9] By 1999, the company was ranked 9th among all electronic commerce sites, with around 2.7 million visitors in the month of December.
[10] MusicBlvd was also partnered with CBS Cable[11] and hotlinked to sponsors, including Billboard magazine.