Samsung is to take the digital music fight to Apple by launching its own music download service in the UK, France and Germany, the South Korean giant revealed today. Details of the service remain scarce, but we can say it will be operated by digital music distributor MusicNet, which also powers Virgin Digital, HMV, Yahoo!, iMesh and others.

Samsung is typing the debut if the music download service into the arrival of its YP-K5 digital music player, which is getting its first public showing at the IFA consumer electronics expo in Berlin. The YP-K5 digital music player is fitted with up to 4GB of Flash memory and plays the usual array of audio formats, along with Linux-friendly Ogg files. There's an FM radio on board too, and the YP-K5 digital music player features Samsung's 3D audio Digital Natural Sound engine (DNSe) for "full basses and a full sound".

Samsung said it plans to expand the service throughout Europe and Asia once the initial launch phase is completed. When that might be, it didn't say. The music download service will debut "later this year". Samsung didn't reveal what music format its service will use, but it will almost certainly be Windows Media. Whether the downloads will be specifically tagged to play only on the YP-K5 digital music player, again Samsung didn't say.

The YP-K5 digital music player is due to ship next month, we understand, in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB versions for £130 ($247), £180 ($342) and £200 ($381), respectively.

The company's move puts it up against not only Apple but also Microsoft, now the software giant is developing an own-brand digital music player, the Zune, and a digital content service to go with it.