EMI appoints Second Life founder to digital team

NEW YORK, June 9 (Reuters) - EMI Group, the world's fourth-largest music company, said on Monday it has appointed a co-founder of Linden Lab, Cory Ondrejka, as senior vice president of digital strategy at EMI Music.

EMI said Ondrejka led the development of Linden Lab's online virtual world site Second Life.

His appointment comes just two months after former Google chief information officer Douglas Merrill joined EMI Music to head up its digital business.

EMI, like other major music companies, has struggled with the transition of its traditional business of selling CDs to the newer model of distributing music digitally.

The company, which was taken private last year, expects the appointment of senior executives with extensive digital experience will help in coping with the rapid change in the way consumers buy music. (Reporting by Yinka Adegoke, editing by Dave Zimmerman)