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In a statement on the mycokemusic website, the company says that the site will close on 31 July, giving users just over a month to use up any remaining credit, or transfer it to another OD2-based music service.

Explaining the decision to close, Coke says the store, which pre-dates iTunes and Napster, has

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outlived its usefulness.

'When we launched mycokemusic, it was because our consumers told us that this was something they were really interested in,' the statement reads. 'In 2004, the digital music scene was just developing and the only way for Coke to offer access to music downloads was to open our own store. That's not true today and there is no need for Coke to continue to run a store.'

Since mycokemusic is not a subscription-based service, users will continue to be able to play their downloads, burn CDs and transfer them to WMA-compatible portable players.

According to research company XTN, mycokemusic was the fourth largest digital music service in the UK with six per cent market share. Apple's iTunes Music Store is the market leader and held a 54 per cent share in November 2005.

For information on transferring credit go to mycokemusic.com/close_email/faq.html.