Following the news last week that Yahoo acquired Musicmatch for US$160 million (see related story), CNET News.com is reporting today that the company has plans to use its strength in the Internet Messaging (IM) arena to go head-to-head with Apple for online music sales. “Yahoo’s plans are still sketchy, but sources close to the company say instant messaging will play a key role,” notes CNET’s Jim Hu. “While the popular IM software already lets people listen to online radio, new versions will let people share and interact with one another’s digital playlists.” Yahoo had no comment on the story.