Music Download Service for Cell Phones to Launch in Europe

Music Download Service for Cell Phones to Launch in Europe
eWEEK, June, 2007 by Kate Holton, Reuters
LONDON (Reuters)—A new music service that allows consumers to directly download an unlimited number of tracks to their cell phones for a small weekly fee from wherever they are will launch in Europe on Thursday.

British firm Omnifone said it had signed content deals with the four biggest music groups in the industry and had agreements with 30 mobile operators in a bid to steal the thunder of the much-hyped iPhone made by iPod maker Apple.

The service called MusicStation will be suitable for 75 percent of mobile handsets already available in the market and will launch first in Sweden on Thursday with Scandinavian operator Telenor.


It will then roll out across Europe, the Asia-Pacific and Africa in the coming days and weeks. Omnifone is targeting 100 million phones in a year and can offer over 1 million songs.

"It's hard to imagine a more compelling music experience on mobile than MusicStation," Rob Wells, of Universal Music Group's digital division said. "It works on almost any phone, giving consumers the freedom to choose whatever device they want (and) it allows downloads wherever those consumers are."

Omnifone has also signed content deals three other major music groups: Sony/BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI Group.

Omnifone said the service would be available on all 2.5G and 3G music compatible cell phones, which currently accounts for approximately 80 percent of the handsets sold in Western Europe.