Omnifone has also signed content deals three other major music groups: Sony/BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI Group. A new music service named MusicStation, which will be suitable for 75 percent of mobile handsets available on the market 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. 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. It will offer unlimited track downloads at 4 U.S. dollars a week, 2.99 euros, or 1.99 pounds in Britain, which includes data traffic charges. Omnifone Chief Executive Rob Lewis told Reutersit would take between one and 15 seconds to download a track and that phones could store between 100 and a few thousand depending on the phone. 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 get a jump onthe much-hyped iPhone made by iPod maker Apple. It will launch first in Sweden on Thursday with Scandinavian operator Telenor. MusicStation 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.
Archive for January, 2010
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EU:MusicStation beats iPhone to the punch
January 21st, 2010 
admin Omnifone has also signed content deals three other major music groups: Sony/BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI Group.
A new music service named MusicStation, which will be suitable for 75 percent of mobile handsets available on the market 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.
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.
It will offer unlimited track downloads at 4 U.S. dollars a week, 2.99 euros, or 1.99 pounds in Britain, which includes data traffic charges.
Omnifone Chief Executive Rob Lewis told Reutersit would take between one and 15 seconds to download a track and that phones could store between 100 and a few thousand depending on the phone.
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 get a jump onthe much-hyped iPhone made by iPod maker Apple. It will launch first in Sweden on Thursday with Scandinavian operator Telenor.
MusicStation 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.
Starbucks to offer free iTunes access in coffee shops in Apple
January 19th, 2010 admin
The service will make its debut at more than 600 Starbucks company-operated locations in New York and Seattle on Oct. 2 and will be expanded to other major U.S. cities later this year and next.
The company has no immediate timeline for rolling out the service internationally.
Currently, customers pay to use the Wi-Fi wireless Internet service provided by Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile at Starbucks’ U.S. stores.
Seattle-based Starbucks, which already had been selling CDs in its stores, earlier this year launched its own label, Hear Music. It released the latest album by Paul McCartney in June and has also signed artists such as James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.
Apple Inc and Starbucks Corp. said on Wednesday they had reached an exclusive partnership that allows people to buy songs wirelessly from Apple’s iTunes music store in Starbucks coffee shops without paying WiFi connection fees.
Apple’s new wireless iPod music player, iPhone or any laptop computer running iTunes, will automatically recognize the iTunes store without a connection fee when customers enter a Starbucks shop that has Wi-Fi access.
“I can’t tell you how many customers have come into our stores over the years and loved a song that they hear and asked our baristas, ‘What’s that song? I’d love to buy it,’” Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks’ entertainment division said.
“Getting free access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and the ‘Now Playing’ service at Starbucks is a great way for customers to discover new music,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Imagine walking into a participating Starbucks, hearing a great song, and being able to instantly download it onto your iPod or iPhone. We think this is very cool.”
“With this partnership, we’re bringing Apple’s leadership in digital music together with not only our retail footprint, but the unique Starbucks experience, to offer customers a world-class digital music experience,” said Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks Coffee Company.
