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SAN FRANCISCO — Pressplay and MusicNet signed deals Thursday that give both online music companies the licenses to distribute content from all five major record labels. 

MusicNet, a joint venture of BMG, EMI and Warner, signed a deal to add the catalogs of Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group to its distribution offerings. Pressplay inked a deal to distribute songs from Warner Music Group, a deal that completes its package of Big Five offerings. 

The deals give pressplay and MusicNet a clear path to begin tailoring their services to more distribution partners. Universal’s online catalog is expected to be available through America Online by the year’s end, Universal said Thursday. 

“Legitimate online music consumption is about to explode,” said Larry Kenswil, president of Universal’s eLabs. 

But the market for authorized music downloads remains unclear. Pressplay and MusicNet avoid talk of how many people have actually subscribed to their services.