Submitted by: kirkland on Sunday June 06th, 2004 at 01:06 AM EST

McDonald's Corp. and Sony Corp. Thursday teamed up to give away free music downloads, in a move analysts said raised questions about McDonald's long-standing relationship with Walt Disney Co.

McDonald's will launch a U.S. promotion on June 8 offering customers who buy a Big Mac Extra Value meal an access code worth one free song download at Sony's Connect music store. The so-called Big Mac Meal Tracks promotion will run for six to 10 weeks, expanding to Europe in early July, McDonald's said.

Since late last year, McDonald's has been trying to revitalize its image with young adults. Its "I'm Lovin' It" global ad campaign, for example, incorporates hip-hop music and non-restaurant venues in television commercials that attempt to position McDonald's as a lifestyle company and not strictly a purveyor of fast food.

The Disney deal was reportedly worth $10 million when it was struck in 1996. It was considered a boon to Disney, giving the entertainment company access to customers in McDonald's 13,000 U.S. hamburger stores.

McDonald's still has about two years left on the 10-year agreement, but the two companies confirmed they are in discussions about the structure of the remaining deal.

Sony Connect, like competing services, lets customers buy songs and download them to portable music players. Users can also listen to songs that have been copied or "ripped" from CDs.

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