MEF Calls For Meffys Entries

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) has announced that the 7th Mobile Entertainment Awards programme, known as the ‘Meffys’, is now open for entries. The Meffys span the entire mobile entertainment and media industry, from apps to social media. The winners will be announced at a Gala dinner on the evening before the MEF’s Mobile Entertainment Market event on 21 June in London.
There are 18 categories, with new categories covering Content Discovery & Personalisation; Cross-Platform; M-Commerce;Mobile Connected Device; and ‘App Store Blockbuster’, which recognises the best app on an individual app store.
The full category list is as follows:

• Games Award
• Music Service Award
• TV & Video Service Award
• Video Content AwardContent Discovery & Personalization Award
• Cross-Platform Award
• Social Media Award
• Ad Campaign Award
• App Store Blockbuster Award
• Innovative App Award
• Consumer Experience Award
• Technology Innovation  Award
• Innovative Business Model Award
• Mobile First Innovation Award
• M-Commerce Award
• Business Intelligence Award
• Mobile Connected Device Award
• Outstanding Contribution Award

The MEF is accepting entries for the 2010 Meffys awards now. Companies interested in entering the awards or nominating a candidate for the Outstanding Contribution Award should go to the Meffys website for full details. Entry costs have been frozen from last year at £100 per entry for MEF members and £300 per entry for non-members. The deadline for entries is 16 April 2010.

Mobitel Bulgaria Selects RealNetworks for Mobile Music

RealNetworks has revealed that it transitioned Mobiltel Bulgaria’s music service to the Real platform on 10 March, adding ‘all-you-can-eat’ functionality and continuing its strong momentum across Europe. This is the third deployment under Real’s 4-year agreement with mobilkom Austria group (MAG), providing Mobiltel’s 5.4 million subscribers with access to Real’s mobile music service. 
Mobitel’s migration to RealNetworks’ music platform provides subscribers with flexibility and choice for downloading music to their mobile devices. By subscribing to the Music Unlimited package for 9.90 Bulgarian Lev (£4.64) per-month, Mobitel subscribers can download and sync music to their mobile phones from the PC. They can also download through WAP or web stores, or from native apps residing on their handsets.
“RealNetworks is a global leader in mobile music and with its strong presence in Eastern Europe, is a perfect fit for MAG and Mobiltel,” says Evgeni Karakanovsky, Marketing Data Director for Mobiltel Bulgaria. “We believe that our subscribers will be more likely to utilize mobile music, as we’ve seen happen with our sister company A1 in Austria, due to the increased simplicity and elegance of the interface, and dual download capability.” 
Real powers mobile music services for hundreds of millions of subscribers, including mobilkom austria group’s A1 in Austria and Si.Mobil in Slovenia; SFR in France; and Vodafone music stores in nine countries. Real’s music service is deployed with 15 communications service providers in 15 countries around the world. In total, Real’s ASP services are currently available through 85 different mobile operators in 48 countries worldwide, making them available to 901 million subscribers. Real offers mobile operators a wide choice of mobile services, including music; video; personalisation features such as ringtones, ringback tones and multimedia rRingback services; and messaging services. 

Wattpad Reveals Mystery Novel Prizewinners

Mobile and online book community Wattpad has announced the winners of its ‘Best Mystery/Suspense Novel in 10,000 Words or Less’ Contest, staged in partnership with Evan Marshall - literary agent, bestselling mystery novelist, and co-author with Martha Jewett of ‘The Marshall Plan Novel Writing Software’. The contest was held in celebration of the publication this month of ‘Dark Alley’, the third book in Marshall’s ‘Hidden Manhattan Mysteries’ series.
The winners were ‘Shadowed Suspicions’ by Rachel Kramer ‘Chrisita O'Brien: Chronicles of a Black Butterfly’ by Yeilis Quintana Ramirez; ‘Sunshine Yellow’ by William Heinecke; and ‘16 Shades Of Grey And A Little Black’ by Brian Ridgway
“We had several hundred entries, which was extremely gratifying,” says Marshall. “I was impressed by the writers’ talent and energy, and also by the variety of stories submitted. Wattpad is a wonderful platform for writers who want peer feedback on their work.”
All four winning novels will be featured on Wattpad and also on Marshall’s own mystery website, EvanMarshallMysteries.com.
Separately, Wattpad has announced that one of its writers, Jose Alfredo Vazquez, has signing his first print publishing deal. Vazquez first published his ebook ‘The War Against Them: A Zombie Novel’ on Wattpad in the Summer of 2009 and became a Wattpad featured writer. Apocalyptic-horror-and-zombie-fiction focused Living Dead Press has since purchased the publishing rights to this title.  

Norwegian Music Service is For WiMPs

Music Streaming Service WiMP launched in the Norwegian market last month. The service is a joint venture between Aspiro and Platekompaniet, launched in cooperation with Telenor. Such cooperation between a telecom operator, a technical supplier and a traditional music retail store is unique in the European market, says Aspiro. To ensure that artists, record labels and copyright holders are paid for their music. WiMP is available as a subscription service with a payment model ensuring that everyone gets their share.
WiMP's ambition is to offer its listeners a complete catalogue of music in all genres. Aspiro says the service is simple to use and the listener is able to easily find the music he is looking for. In addition, WiMP aims to have a strong editorial offering. Editors continuously assemble interesting information and fresh playlists in various genres. WiMP further seeks to use the help of music experts to inform the listener about what is happening within the various genres and what are the essential releases. By doing so, WiMP hopes to help the listener explore new music and contribute to a general rise in music discovery.
“We believe the key success factors for the Aspiro music streaming service are the user experience, allowing easy ways of discovering new music and sharing it with friends, together with a local approach to the market, as we have with Platekompaniet in Norway”, says Aspiro Music CEO, Per Einar Dybvik.
The record companies have also welcomed the launch of WiMP. "WiMP offers fans a first-class music experience: easy-to-use, portable and affordable, with a particularly broad choice of repertoire in high-quality sound and the option to own favourites,” says Guttorm Raa, General Manager of Warner Music Norway. “We're delighted to see a major technology provider and a leading retailer launching a compelling music service that supports and extends their own businesses, whilst ensuring that artists and labels are properly compensated for the value their music creates.”
Aspiro says that WiMP will also function as a tool for artists and record labels to present their new releases. The artists can also contribute with their own playlists and thereby communicate directly with their fans through the service. This is also expected to help push an even higher share of local music. WiMP also enables unsigned artists to register and get paid for their music.

Voda and Mobcast Team Up for eBook Giveaway

Vodafone UK has teamed up with digital book service provider Mobcast to offer its customers the opportunity to download five bestselling eBooks for free to their mobile phone tomorrow, Friday 12 March, as part of the network’s ‘Free Fridays’ campaign. The promotion follows the success Voadaone has  enjoyed with ebooks on its Vodafone 360 platform, where Mobcast’s ebooks are available in English and local European languages.
The free books include the first title of the bestselling Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’, which is now a major motion picture; Sophie Kinsella’s current chart-topper ‘Twenties Girl’; another bestselling offering from thriller-writer James Patterson, ‘The Murder of King Tut’, fiction from Alex Preston, ‘This Bleeding City’, and in conjunction with the Tim Burton film release, the classic ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll. Customers will also have a chance to win a private film screening of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’.
Vodafone has set up a dedicated microsite to promote the giveaway. Alternatively Vodafone customers can see a video explaining how to download books to their phones here.

Smartphone Boom Powers Abphone Growth

A study carried out by Openwave Analytics has revealed that traffic to the Abphone mobile entertainment search engine in S. Africa reaches a third of Google’s mobile search traffic in the country. The study also concludes that content search is ranked in the top three most popular mobile Internet categories, after social networks and operator portals.
“This figure corroborates our estimations for all the countries where Abphone is present,” says Abphon CEO, Pierre Scokaert.
The boom in Smartphones has recently boosted Abphone usage. 77% of Abphone users in France, have a Smartphone (mostly iPhones), while in Great Britain it’s 74%, in S.Africa, 66%, in the US, 47%, and in India, 42%.
“Smartphone owners use Abphone twice as much as those with feature phones,” says Pierre Scokaert. “As the market share of Smartphones increases, so does usage of Abphone.”
Abphone’s ad-funded mobile entertainment search service aims to deliver the best content the web has to offer, specifically reformatted for viewing on a mobile screen. Whatever their topic of interest, Abphone users can trigger the service to create a custom multimedia portal on the fly.
Today, Abphone registers 1 million hours of service usage each month, with 1 million unique visitors, and an average of 10 visits per user. The company says the main reason for its popularity is word-of-mouth among young people.

Snoop Dogg Goes Mobile with Myxer

Mobile entertainment firm Myxer and rapper Snoop Dogg have announced today a promotional partnership for the upcoming release of Snoop Dogg’s CD + DVD combo ‘More Malice’, the follow-up to the ‘Malice N Wonderland’ album. As part of the promotion, Snoop will utilize Myxer’s MobileStage solution to deliver exclusive and behind-the-scenes branded mobile entertainment video content revolving around the upcoming album and Malice N Wonderland mini movie, also to be released with the album, to millions of music and hip-hop fans across Myxer’s platform. More Malice, which will be released by Capitol/EMI on 23 March, will feature five songs from Malice N Wonderland, along with five new songs and two remixes. The Malice N Wonderland movie features Snoop in the title role as the superhero Malice, looking to save his home land of Wonderland, with cameos from Jamie Foxx, Xzibit and Nipsey Hussle.
On the eve of the launch and mini movie release, Myxer has created a More Malice MobileStage content channel, which features exclusive videos of the making of the Malice N Wonderland mini movie, ringtones, and wallpapers, and will be accessible to more than 30 million passionate music fans within the Myxer community. Additionally, there will be embeddable widgets that will be featured on numerous major music and hip-hop websites, and placed on Snoop’s various social networking platforms for easy access to the mobile downloads, as well as custom text keywords.  Snoop Dogg fans will also have an opportunity to fly to Los Angeles and “hang” with Snoop (as the kids say – Ed), based on hidden word clues after the videos are downloaded.
“It is becoming clearer by the day, that artists’ fans want to use their mobile phone as the connection vehicle to their favourite artists,” says Myxer CEO, Myk Willis. “We recently launched MobileStage as a free, customizable mobile website for artists and the response has been great. We are very pleased that such a leading music icon as Snoop Dogg has selected Myxer as the centrepiece for the launch of More Malice.”
Myxer represents over 30 million unique users, who download more than 90 million pieces of content every month. The company recently announced that it had recorded more than 1 billion downloads to date over its platform.

Brain-training for Your Mobile

Mobile software developer SPB Software has unveiled a new version, V2.1, of the Symbian version of its ‘SPB Brain Evolution’ brain-training game. The new version brings support for touchscreen-based devices with OS Symbian S60 v5. Controls in version 2.1 were reconsidered to ensure seamless, finger-friendly experience, says SPB.
SPB Brain Evolution is a set of addictive mini-games which have to be played in sequence. Only by achieving good results in a game can a user unlock the next one. Games include ‘Sudoku’, ‘Numbers’, ‘Guess Who’, ‘Minesweeper’, ‘Matches’, ‘Geometry’, and ‘Pairs’.

X5 Music Signs Distribution Deal with INgrooves

X5 Music Group has signed a deal with INgrooves, which provides digital distribution, marketing and promotion services to the global music and video community. INgrooves will provide worldwide digital distribution services, including mobile distribution of the X5 catalogue, and delivery to various online stores. 
The X5 Music Group catalogue includes over 180,000 music tracks spanning all genres. X5 has seen plenty of recent Billboard chart success with no less than 12 albums on the ‘Billboard Hot 200’ chart since July 2008, solely through digital sales.
“INgrooves is a proactive, flexible company offering a transparent and reliable delivery platform, and they were a clear choice for X5 Music Group,” says X5 CEO, Johan Lagerlöf. "We are delighted to pact with INgrooves to execute our mobile digital strategy using their mobile distribution network”

X5 Music Signs Distribution Deal with INgrooves

X5 Music Group has signed a deal with INgrooves, which provides digital distribution, marketing and promotion services to the global music and video community. INgrooves will provide worldwide digital distribution services, including mobile distribution of the X5 catalogue, and delivery to various online stores. 
The X5 Music Group catalogue includes over 180,000 music tracks spanning all genres. X5 has seen plenty of recent Billboard chart success with no less than 12 albums on the ‘Billboard Hot 200’ chart since July 2008, solely through digital sales.
“INgrooves is a proactive, flexible company offering a transparent and reliable delivery platform, and they were a clear choice for X5 Music Group,” says X5 CEO, Johan Lagerlöf. "We are delighted to pact with INgrooves to execute our mobile digital strategy using their mobile distribution network”

Transformers Comic Arrives on the iPhone

Following the success of the Wallace & Gromit iPhone comic application, Titan Publishing has announced the arrival of its first Transformers iPhone comic for thje UK and the Republic of Ireland. Based on Hasbro’s Transformers franchise, each Transformers comic download includes an action packed story and is bursting with fun facts and trivia about the characters, movies and comics.
The digital comic is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, or from the Titan Publishing website. The first download includes ‘Optimus Prime’, a story written by Transformers legend Simon Furman and featuring artwork by fan favourite Geoff Senior (Judge Dredd, 2000AD, Dr Who and Dragons Claws).
“Transformers on your iPhone - wow! It's a simply incredible chance for fans of the warring ‘Robots in Disguise’ to experience incredible stories that expand upon and underpin the incredible movie universe,” says Furman. “The stories, written by me and drawn by a host of old and new Transformers artists, bring the movie characters to life as never before, and now they can be seen as never before.”

MEF Elects Asia Board

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), the global trade body of the mobile media and entertainment industry, has announced the results of the election results for its Asia Board.
The newly-elected board was appointed to a two year term, and consists of industry leaders throughout Asia with expertise spanning the mobile, media, entertainment and services industries.
In recognition of the strategic importance of Asia as one of the industry’s global drivers, the Asia board was expanded to 11 seats, with elections taking place alongside Mobile World Congress (MWC).
The MEF Asia Board 2010 is as follows:
Chairman: Neeraj Roy, Managing Director & CEO. Hungama Mobile
Vice-Chair: Colin Miles Co-founder & Executive VP i-POP Networks 
MEF Asia Board Directors:
Christian H. Cadeo – Head of Brand Advertising, APAC, AdMob (Singapore)
Ben Chong – Operations Relation Manager, Silverstreet (Malaysia)
Sudarshan Dharmaplin – VP Product Management, IMImobile (India)
David Frey – Head of KPMG Centre of Excellence for Comms, KPMG, (China)
Representative to be confirmed: Bharti Airtel (India)
Pankaj Sethi – President, Corporate Strategy & Services, Tata Teleservices (India)
Kugan Thirunavakarasu – Senior GM/Head Of Product & Infotainment Business, Maxis Communications (Malaysia)

“Asia represents a key territory for MEF and its members,” says MEF Global Chairman, Andrew Bud. “I have every confidence that the MEF Asia’s skilled board will help the industry and members to better navigate the territory’s unique challenges, and grow this vibrant mobile media market.”

Myxer Report Reveals Android Growth

Mobile content and entertainment company Myxer has released the latest of its ‘BoomBox’ monthly reports, looking at mobile entertainment consumption habits in the US. The January report reveals that the iPhone continues to dominate, but that Android users have closed the gap and have actually surpassed iPhone users in eight states, with seven of them coming from West and Midwest states, including Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. 
The report also reveals the latest demographic and consumption habits based on more than 1 million unique Myxer users from Android and iPhone operating systems. For Android handsets, the average woman downloaded more mobile entertainment than the average man across every single Android device. Android traffic also skews older than the average audience profile seen downloading mobile entertainment from Myxer.
Handset preference by gender was also a major surprise, with Google’s Nexus One ranking as the most popular Android handset among men, with men making up 75% of Nexu One users on Myxer. In contrast, the Samsung Behold II and the HTC myTouch both comprise the largest percentage of female users on Myxer, with 67% of users on each handset being female.
Other Android stats include:

• The Nexus One has the largest percentage (54%) of users over the age of 24.
• Users on the Samsung Behold II handset initiate the largest number of downloads of any of the Android handsets, consuming an average of 14 pieces of content per month per user.
• Android users browsing the mobile web on the Motorola DROID consume the least amount of mobile entertainment, with the average user consuming four pieces of content per month.
• HTC’s Dream is the handset of choice for the younger demographic, with 57% of the downloads Myxer sees from HTC Dream handset being initiated from users who are between the age of 18 and 24. This is also the largest percentage of users in this age demographic on any Android device on Myxer.

“For this month’s BoomBox report, we conducted a deep dive into our Android user base in hopes of uncovering regional, demographic, and consumption trends across users on the most popular handsets,” says Myxer CEO, Myk Willis. “We think this research will provide valuable information and insights to both marketers and developers, especially over the long term, where developing trends can be identified and factored into key business decisions.”
Since 2005, Myxer has catalogued various data points, including age, gender, geographic location, phone model, manufacturer, carrier, as well as the operating system of each handset that initiated a download from its delivery platform. The platform now supports more than 7 million monthly unique visitors, downloading over 90 million content items from Myxer each month.
You can download a copy of the full report, and subscribe to the monthly Myxer newsletter here.

LG and Dolby Showcase 5.1-channel Mobile Surround Sound

LG and Dolby Laboratories have staged the first public demonstration of 5.1 multichannel surround sound on a mobile phone using the latest version of Dolby Mobile technology and an LG, Android-based smartphone.
Announced in July 2008, the strategic collaboration between LG and Dolby has already created 20 mobile phone models with rich and enhanced audio for the market that are available today or are in development.
Dolby Mobile is an audio platform designed to deliver rich, vibrant audio and dramatically improve listening enjoyment. The latest version of Dolby Mobile now offers support for discrete 5.1-channel surround sound.
“LG is devoted to delivering the best new features to our customers for a better user experience,” says Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Today’s announcement represents the latest milestone in joint efforts to improve the performance of our handsets, including feature phones and Smartphones. Together with Dolby, we hope to raise the bar for audio quality in mobile devices and the mobile industry as a whole.” 

Controlling Influence

Colm Healy, Vice President of EMEA Services for Qualcomm Internet Services, and General Manager of Xiam Technologies, argues that operators and brands need to put consumers in control of mobile content

The recent explosion of device-centric application stores and the influx of Smartphones and new connected devices into the market is changing consumer expectations around mobile services and applications. When it comes to mobile content, consumers have an expectation that they are in control – an expectation that developed during the era of ‘wireline’ and ‘desktop’ interfaces.  
Consumers are using more mobile content than ever before, however current modes of discovery and usage – such as search engines or operator portals - are limiting the mobile content experience from reaching its full potential. Users have a hard time discovering content that is meaningful to them, and when they do, that interaction is constrained to a single device or network.
To deliver on consumer expectations and enable them to truly take control of their content, operators and brands will need to collaborate to find new areas to add value to the consumer experience. We see three areas as imperative for the industry to thrive: discovery, portability and engagement.

Discovery
Traditional methods of search and discovery don’t translate well to mobile. Most methods do not optimise content discovery, as they typically tend to showcase the latest or most popular content to a general audience. Further to this point, recent research commissioned by Qualcomm revealed that 80% of users noted they had difficulty obtaining content on their mobile handsets, meaning they spent more time searching and less time accessing their content.  
Discovery needs to evolve from search engines to a more dynamic, real-time experience. Consumers shouldn’t struggle to find the one app or piece of content among thousands that they care about. It should find them.
Qualcomm’s research also revealed that 63% of mobile users would spend more time accessing online information or would purchase more content if it were personalised and easier to find.
Operators need to add value by giving consumers the keys to their content. The operator can play an invaluable role in the fostering of relationships between consumers and the content and brands they care about. By leveraging location and user activity, operators will better understand their subscribers, and this in turn will enable them to offer contextual content to consumers. The combination of subscriber knowledge from content providers and operators will help develop content strategies that take into consideration what content the subscriber wants, as well as when and where they want it. This is the key to engendering ongoing brand loyalty across the entire mobile ecosystem.

Portability
To realise the vision of the consumer being in control of their content experience, the content must be portable, providing the user with a truly liberating mobile experience. Providing the consumer with a fantastic experience on one device may be enough today, but what happens when they want to change devices, or when the device they have been using is not suitable for their current location or state?
A key finding of the recent research commissioned by Qualcomm was that 58% of users believe it is important that their content moves with them, regardless of their mobile device. It is crucial that users are able to access any content, no matter where it was purchased or downloaded, through any device they choose, and that the digital experience is consistent across all platforms. Content must be able to follow the consumer when they upgrade devices and must be ‘stateful’ – ready to be picked up where they left off.
An example of this in action would be when a consumer can start listening to their favourite band’s latest album on the web, pick up where they left off on their phone when they head out the door,  and receive personalised updates about upcoming tour dates in their home city via their fan club app – all based on their profile, preferences and state.
The industry is currently in debate regarding cloud computing, but it is this technology that will play aan integral role in driving this level of mobile experience forward. Both native and Internet-based applications access information from the cloud, and thus the cloud will be important in giving consumers absolute control over their content and allowing operators the opportunity to offer ubiquitous access to content on multiple devices.

Engagement
Once operators and brands have collectively tackled the issues of discoverability and portability, they become well positioned to take on the final obstacle – driving user engagement. For consumers, what matters is having access to their preferred content, across all of their connected devices. This puts brands in the best position to create content experiences that span multiple screens, allowing them to foster a dialogue beyond just the initial sale. One example of how this could be done is cross- platform audience engagement – where a user watching a reality show on TV is able to vote online and then keep up with the participants via a fan app on their mobile device.
The opportunity for the operator is in finding a way to facilitate that continued dialogue, while remaining relevant to consumers. Operators can help to deliver impactful digital experiences by blending information such as consumer demographics and behaviors, location-awareness, billing, relationship and brand loyalty. The mobile operator has the ability to create an ecosystem where the network harmoniously bridges the relationship between the consumer and the content they desire. Providing consumers with an engaging experience that allows them to interact meaningfully with the brands they care about will ultimately ensure their loyalty. 
It is time to integrate solutions that bring operators, content providers and device manufacturers together to enable the discovery of content that is highly relevant, but might otherwise go unnoticed.
The mobile experience must evolve away from simple search and discovery and give consumers the control over the content that they have come to expect as part of their mobile experience. This will enable the entire mobile ecosystem to realise the incredible opportunity to increase mobile data usage and sales by providing personalised apps, content and services.
A full copy of Qualcomm’s Whitepaper, ‘Going Beyond an Application Store’ is available here.

Sprint Hands Music Brief to RealNetworks

Digital entertainment services company RealNetworks and US carrier Sprint have announced an agreement to streamline the music-related offerings - ringtones, ringback tones and full-track music - available on Sprint phones into a user-friendly, unified, digital music storefront. The two companies plan to work together to streamline Sprint’s digital music offerings later this year to provide the same choice and convenience to customers that Sprint provides across all its mobile services, while increasing efficiencies for the operator.
“This relationship with RealNetworks allows us to give Sprint customers an easy-to-use option to find, purchase and manage the music-related content they want on their phones in a more convenient, intuitive way,” says Len Barlik, Vice President, Wireless and Wireline Services at Sprint.
Real will leverage its end-to-end Media Entertainment Platform to manage, administer, market and deliver Sprint’s digital music content, initially including full-tracks, ringtones and ringback tones. 
Real offers mobile operators an array of mobile services, including music, video; ringback tones and personalization, and messaging services. Real’s ASP services are currently available through 86 different mobile operators in 48 countries worldwide, making them available to more than 900 million subscribers.

Shazam Adds Tour Info and Last.fm to iPhone App

Mobile music discovery service Shazam has announced a number of significant enhancements for its Shazam Encore and (SHAZAM)RED applications on the App Store. With the enhanced version of the apps, iPhone and iPod touch users can now get tour information for tagged artists, use Last.fm to create Internet radio stations using their tagged music, and access the Shazam blog.
When a song is tagged, an icon will be displayed that, when tapped, provides tour information for that band or artist. Users can now find out where their favorite tagged artists are performing both locally, with automated geolocation functionality, and in other cities around the world with access to 60 sources covering 140 countries. The application also offers recommendations for local gigs scheduled for similar artists.
With Last.fm, Shazam users can create their own radio stations that include additional songs by tagged artist, as well as songs from other artists with similar styles and genres. When a song is tagged, an icon will appear in the ‘Tag Results’ page, which takes the user directly to their radio station. Users must have already downloaded the Last.fm radio app in order to access this feature and must also be in a geographic region where Last.fm is accessible.
Additionally, the enhanced versions of Shazam Encore and (SHAZAM)RED give users direct access to the Shazam Blog, which features original insight, reviews and comments on current trends and events in music.
The updated versions of Shazam Encore and (SHAZAM)RED are now available in 32 countries from the Apple App Store. The Last.fm app is available in US, UK and Germany.

4th Screen Powers O2/Shazam Priority Ticket Service

O2 has entered into an exclusive sponsorship deal with mobile music discovery service Shazam which will enable it to deliver highly targeted ads for its Priority Tickets service to Shazam users. Customers will be served relevant ads for O2 Priority pre-sales based on the music they have tagged through Shazam’s iPhone application. The dynamic ads will be delivered using 4th Screen Advertising’s ad serving platform, Mpression.
O2 Priority Tickets is a unique offer for O2 customers which gives them the ability to buy tickets for gigs at The O2 and O2 Academy venues up to 48 hours before they go on general sale. O2’s sponsorship of Shazam’s iPhone app means that customers will only see ads for pre-sales which they might be interested in, based on the artists or tracks they have tagged using Shazam. For example, if a Cheryl Cole pop song is identified and she’s performing at The O2 or one of the O2 Academy venues, the ad will promote the gig. 
These relevant and contextual ads will be delivered using a variety of formats,  including standard banners and integrated links. Shazam’s iPhone app is free to download via the App Store.
“We’re always looking at innovative ways in which we can engage customers with Priority Tickets and make sure they hear about pre-sales for their favourite bands,” says Shadi Halliwell, Head of UK Brand Communications at O2. “Shazam is one of the most popular apps on the iPhone, and a perfect way of reaching potential customers.”
4th Screen Advertising Managing Director Mark Slade describes the campaign as: “the most integrated and engaging campaign 4th Screen has run as an agency in our four years of trading”. He adds: “It’s great to see forward-thinking brands, like O2 and Shazam, leveraging our new rich media formats. We will be launching a number of innovative new formats in 2010, plus we’ll be looking to replicate this model in other markets.”
Jonathan Symons, EVP of Business Development at Shazam, says there is a perfect fit between Shazam’s consumer base of music fans and the objectives of the O2 Priority campaign.  
“The use of rich media and highly targeted campaign messages results in an engaging and rewarding experience for Shazam users,” says Symons. “This is a first for us, and we will be taking this model and new ad formats to other markets.”
Shazam currently has over 50 million users to date. 4th Screen Advertising secured a Europe-wide mobile advertising deal with Shazam in October 2009.

Netbiscuits to Build Mobile Sites for Universal

Universal Music Group (UMG) is expanding its direct-to-consumer mobile content and services offering for music fans through an agreement with mobile publishing platform, Netbiscuits.
As part of the agreement, UMG will leverage Netbiscuits' B2B web software platform to launch mobile websites and services for UMG’s broad array of popular artists. By doing so, UMG says it will be opening up even more channels of content discovery and delivery to music fans everywhere. Through these artist-branded mobile sites, UMG will offer fans the ability to interact with other fans and to buy music directly from their handset. Based on the mobile websites, Netbiscuits will also enable UMG to set up smart hybrid apps for all major platforms, including the iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile devices.  
Universal Music will also use the text messaging service suite that is integrated with the Netbiscuits platform to provide music lovers with SMS alerts whenever favourite artists are in town.
“Universal is committed to providing consumers with even more engaging interactive opportunities to connect with their favourite artists and music by personalizing their mobile devices,” says David Ring, Executive Vice President of Business Development & Business Affairs for UMG’s eLabs. “Thanks to the support we are getting from Netbiscuits, we’ll be in an even better position to extend these artist opportunities and products across the widest array of available wireless devices.
“Through their exclusive technology, we’ll be able to offer consumers truly engaging mobile music experiences, that include the chance to generate their own content, leaving comments, uploading pictures, and chatting with each other via these mobile sites.”  
UMG first began working with Netbiscuits in November 2009, when the two companies  collaborated on the successful launch of a mobile website for Bon Jovi (m.bonjovi.com).
Netbiscuits delivers any rich media content, optimized for more than 6,000 different mobile devices worldwide. The platform enables a next generation user experience on the latest Smartphones and provides optimized web content for the long tail of web-enabled phones.

Neustar Handed Digital Rights Locker Brief

The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) has selected Neustar to provide a clearinghouse solution for the industry consortium. Neustar will develop and manage the consortium’s Digital Rights Locker, a cloud-based authentication service and account management hub that provides consumers with access to their digital - including mobile - entertainment. The launch of the Digital Rights Locker is targeted for the second half of 2010.
DECE is a consortium of leading entertainment, consumer electronics, and technology companies and retailers dedicated to developing the next generation digital media experience based on open, licensable specifications.
“Security, scalability and flexibility are key requirements for us in building the digital locker service for DECE,” says Mitch Singer, Chief Technology Officer at Sony Pictures and president of DECE. “Neustar has a track record for handling complex technological challenges across large operations – from governments to massive enterprises – in a secure, seamless and neutral manner.”
Neustar’s data management technology, infrastructure and customer support will power DECE’s Digital Rights Locker solution, providing consumers with access to all of their DECE-compliant movies, TV and other entertainment in one place; managing access to the content in the account; and registering or updating different devices for playback. DECE will provide open application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow any participating web-enabled storefront, service or device to integrate access to the Digital Rights Locker into their own consumer offerings. Additionally, the Digital Rights Locker will be accessible from the DECE-branded site.
“DECE’s digital ecosystem needs are right in Neustar's wheelhouse,” explained Jeff Ganek, chairman and chief executive officer at Neustar. “As a neutral third-party interoperability provider, we excel at enabling markets and helping industries realize their digital ambitions. We look forward to working with the consortium in its effort to empower consumers.”
There’s a full list of DECE member companies here.

Aspiro Launches on Android

Aspiro has revealed that its desktop and mobile streaming music service is available on Google’s Nexus One phone and other Android handsets. The new service delivers live streaming of an extensive catalogue of music tracks via the online streaming service, the WiMP, which was beta launched last year in partnership with Norway’s largest retail music chain, Platekompaniet.
Millions of tracks are already available on the player from some 160,000 albums and more than 120,000 artists, from record labels including Universal, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner, as well as a host of local companies.
All the key features of the WiMP desktop service are available on the Android version, including search, playlists, favourites and discovery. Tracks can also be cached for offline listening.
The WiMP service, which is also available as a white label service for operators, is designed as a subscription service, and any music downloaded for offline listening can be accessed throughout the subscription period.

GoSpoken in Lovereading Partnership

Digital book company GoSpoken and independent online book store Lovereading have announced a partnership to distribute books directly to mobile phones.
The new partnership will see GoSpoken offering thousands of the bestselling and latest ebook and audio book titles, available to purchase and download on mobile, from the LoveReading.co.uk website, alongside paperback and hardback formats. Digital books take a few seconds to download and will save customers’ time and delivery costs, says GoSpoken.
The launch of eReader devices has dominated the headlines recently, and brought eBooks to the forefront of the consumer mind. GoSpoken says the deal will open up the format options available for customers, allowing them to choose how and where they want to read their books in the digital age. In future, readers will be able to discover new books and authors on Lovereading.co.uk with a list of available formats alongside each book.

Voda Signs up 450,000 Music Subscribers

Vodafone Group has revealed that almost 450,000 Vodafone customers have signed up to its music subscription services since it signed DRM-free (Digital Rights Management) deals with all four major labels in 2009. Vodafone says this means it has the largest number of paying music subscribers in Europe.
In December 2009, over 100,000 customers signed up to one of a range of music services offered across Vodafone’s eight largest markets in Europe. Growth in customer subscription numbers is being driven both by monthly 10-track MP3 bundles, and from ‘all you can eat’ (AYCE) unlimited access subscription services.
MP3 files bought in bundles can be played on both mobile and PC a wide range of computers and digital music players, including iTunes. Customers typically get 10 tracks per month for around €5 (£4.40).
AYCE services are offered both as a standalone product, and bundled with data tariffs. When bundled with data, customers can access the entire catalogue of over 2 million tracks for as little as €3 a month.
“We are really excited by our customers’ reaction to these great music offers,” says Vodafone Internet Services Director of Content, Lee Epting. “We expect to see continued growth in our music service subscriptions driven by the increase in Smartphone use, with their worry-free data tariffs and great value add-ons such as music bundles. We will carry on working hard with our partners in the music industry to develop new and innovative music services for our customers. Vodafone is starting to prove the significance of its place in the music industry.”

MEF Releases Business Confidence Index

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) has released its fourth Business Confidence Index (BCI), compiled by KPMG. According to the MEF, the BCI points to signs of recovery and a clear trajectory of revenue growth of 28% for the coming year.
“Our industry has faced a difficult period, but these latest findings clearly show that confidence in the growth of our industry has not diminished in the last year,” says MEF Global Chair, Andrew Bud. “81% of respondents report that their actual performance for the last quarter was either better than or in line with budget, and viewed alongside the consistent and significant market growth predictions being made by our industry, (this) is very positive news as we move into a new year.”
Mark Harding, Director of Digital Content at KPMG, who analysed the survey findings, says: “Following some uncertainty in the market over the last 12 months, headcount growth actually exceeded the projections made last quarter and respondents predict further headcount growth in the coming quarter. Applications have developed considerably as a driver of growth over the past six months, illustrating the dynamism of this new business model for monetising mobile content.”

Destar Unveils MediaWeava

Mobile technology developer Destar has unveiled MediaWeava, which enables record labels, distributors and other media owners to easily and swiftly convert music and video files into mobile-ready formats, significantly reducing the time, effort and expense involved in distributing music content to mobile storefronts. Destar believes that file conversion, meta data management and distribution are three key challenges currently hampering the availability of entire catalogues on mobile, which is why the company has created MediaWeava, which enables the entire process to be managed and automated over a simple web interface.
As the market for mobile media continues to evolve, device vendors, network operators and retail storefronts demand a variety of different file formats. This means that record labels or their distributors must convert their standard digital formats in an attempt to profit from the mobile market. Currently, the vast majority of deliveries for mobile distribution are conducted manually, which is unproductive, and limits long-term profitability for mobile music distribution, Destar argues.
“Manual processing of files using desktop software and managing your distribution with a spreadsheet doesn’t allow record labels to scale their mobile businesses sufficiently,” says Destar Director, Glenn de Smidt. “MediaWeava reduces the time it takes to convert files and streamlines the process of delivering media content to mobile storefronts. It therefore cuts operational costs and increases competitive edge for stakeholders along the digital content chain.”
The use of audio and video on mobile handsets is growing fast, fuelling demand for mobile-ready file formats. 28% of 16-24 year olds listen to music at least weekly on a mobile phone, according to British music trade organisation the BPI. Therefore, the amount of music and video content which will need to be converted for mobile will only grow, increasing the burden on record labels and media owners to create mobile-ready audio and video files.
MediaWeava is a scalable, server-based solution with an easy-to-use web interface. It works with all common file formats and can ingest digital music feeds from all the major digital music distributors. Currently, MediaWeava can be used to distribute to over 30 mobile storefronts and aggregators. The MediaWeava platform provides flexible tools to give record labels and media owners complete control over their meta data and media assets.
There’s more information about the MediaWeava platform here.

Magnet Mobile and Puretracks Unveil Web2Mobile

US businesses will soon be able to offer their customers a choice of music tracks or ringtones from a single universal promotional code, thanks to a new mobile service called Web2Mobile.
Web2Mobile is a turnkey service that enables brands to offer ringtone downloads as part of their promotional marketing mix. The service was developed jointly by Toronto-based Magnet Mobile Media and digital music firm, Puretracks. It is slated to go live on the Puretracks promotions platform later this month.
“Working with Puretracks allowed us to design and build a custom mobile platform, which integrates seamlessly with Puretracks’ music promotions platform,” says Magnet Mobile Media VP Product Development, Ruaridh Anderson. “The new platform allows brands to give customers access to a new ringtone library of more than 5,000 popular titles, and to Puretracks’ existing music library of more than 2  million music tracks.”
The Web2Mobile service is delivered through a universal promo code that can be distributed to customers via an in-pack/on-pack promotion, a custom-branded card or online. Mobile promotional downloads are delivered over an authorized network that has been approved by all the major US networks, including Sprint, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

Voda Launches Mobile Bookstore

Vodafone UK, in partnership with digital book service provider GoSpoken.com, has become the first operator to commit to books as a significant part of its content offering with the launch of a Vodafone-branded mobile bookstore.
Vodafone and GoSpoken have sold books to Vodafone customers for more than a year, but are now offering an enhanced end-to-end user experience to buy and read bestselling titles on mobile handsets. GoSpoken also recently created a bespoke book application for Vodafone 360’s social platform which is currently available across seven countries.
“Mobile books constitute a new growth opportunity and are an exciting addition to the range of content already on Vodafone Live!” says Tom McLennan, Head of Music at Vodafone UK.
GoSpoken will be launching similar projects with T-Mobile and Orange by the end of the month. The launch follows GoSpoken’s recent investment from Japanese mobile book giant, For-Side.com Co. GoSpoken will be expanding across European and American markets in 2010.
With the convenience of on-bill payment, the service will offer thousands of titles to download directly onto mobile handsets. These include bestsellers like the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer, thrillers from James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell and classics like Sherlock Holmes. Audio books will be available from the superstore shortly, beginning with the award-winning Pimsleur language learning books. By the end of January, over 10,000 eBooks will be available to the majority of handsets connected with Vodafone UK, and eventually the whole Vodafone user base.

10 Trends for 2010 from the MEF

The Mobile Entertainment Forum has released its Top 10 Mobile Media Trends for 2010. Noting that 2009 has been a turbulent year for the global economy, the MEF says that the mobile industry has weathered the storm remarkably well, as its quarterly Business Confidence Index (BCI) has shown. In the last BCI, the global mobile media industry predicted growth of 33% in the next year, although the organisation believes that the industry has the potential to beat this projection.
This time last year, MEF made a number of predictions that came to fruition in 2009. It predicted that mobile applications would emerge as a content category in their own right and with more than 24 application stores now launched and several billion apps downloaded, it says, this has clearly been realised. The MEF also predicted the proliferation of touchscreen devices would drive discoverability and content usage which is self-evident, with seemingly every handset maker producing a touchscreen device and strong consumer demand for the interactive functionality this interface provides.
Here then, is the MEF’s take on the top trends in mobile media for 2010.

1. Fragmentation and variance amongst handsets and now application stores will continue to plague the industry, however the growth of applications on the Android platform will close the gap on Apple’s App Store.
2. Operator-enabling services will start to be widely deployed, facilitating the growth of rich media content that is simpler, faster and offers a better user experience.
3. Media publishers will start to experiment with micro-payments, subscription service models and alternative payment methods which challenge the operators’ dominance, with Rupert Murdoch’s decision to charge for online media content highlighting an already fierce debate.
4. Books will emerge as a new and popular content category for Smartphones.
5. Technology innovation will continue, with content developers experimenting with 3D mobile video viewers and Augmented Reality for mobile.
6. The emerging risk of illicit charging by in-app billing will be met by firm regulatory action.
7. Significant tightening of premium rate regulation in the Atlantic region will spread across the world.
8. 2010 will be the year of multiplatform dual-delivery of content, including music, video and games, across mobile phones, TVs and PCs.
9. The growing consumer demand for data-heavy services will put greater pressure on networks, with flat rate data tariffs increasingly subjected to stringent download limits.
10. Complexity, confusion and ambiguity in the application of rights to the mobile platform will be addressed seriously in 2010.

"Cracking Download Figures Gromit!"

Titan Publishing has revealed that its Wallace & Gromit digital comic iPhone app has achieved over half a million downloads since its launch on 7 November. The app has reached number one in the UK free books app store, and has also risen to the number three spot overall in the free apps chart. All four paid-for Wallace & Gromit comic apps have been within the top 20 paid apps in the UK book chart since their launch in November.
The first Wallace & Gromit Comic, ‘The W Files’ is available as a free download here, and there are four other Wallace & Gromit comics available for download at the Apple App Store for 59p/$0.99 each.

Mobile Content Booming, says Screen Digest

The analyst Screen Digest says that, as it predicted at the end of last year, 2009 was the most successful year for mobile content ever - despite a difficult economic climate and a declining handset market. The market awakening was primarily due to the success of Apple’s App Store and is set to bring mobile to the forefront of the media industry in 2010 and beyond.
The latest research from Screen Digest’s Mobile Intelligence Service suggests that revenues from applications other than voice and messaging on mobile are set to double in the next four years to reach €100 billion/year (£89 billion) by the end of 2013. €8.6 billion of this will be generated by rich media content services such as Mobile TV, video, games and music, a growth of 50% compared to the end of 2009. The bulk of the remainder will comprise charges for data.
More than half a decade after the launch of 3G, the industry has finally found the right ingredients to provide a compelling user experience on mobile, the company says. The increasing popularity of Smartphones with multimedia capabilities, as well as the emergence of more open distribution channels such as Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Market, has ignited the mobile content market.
According to the latest Screen Digest research, Apple’s App Store will generate €1.3 billion by the end of 2013 from 7 billion downloads. Not all applications stores will achieve the same level of success, however, and the Smartphone/app store model will take some time to reach mass market adoption.
The exploding number of app stores and corresponding development platforms poses a danger of creating unnecessary market fragmentation, Screen Digest believes, adding that market consolidation is a long way off as the huge corporations behind those app stores - Apple, Google, Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, Vodafone and Orange - will be happy to compete with each other, and the sheer size of the mobile market will offer enough room for all of them to co-exist.  
Screen Digest believes that mobile will be a major part of the global digital media market, from music to games, to video and TV. Although the media industry is still a long way from generating as much revenue from mobile as it does from other platforms, the company says, it will help offset the decline of physical sales while offering new hopes for monetization.
In the music industry, mobile is being used by online music-on-demand companies such as Spotify and Deezer to upscale consumers from free to premium services. Revenues from mobile music services are set to grow by 25% in the next four years, reaching €3.2 billion by the end of 2013 despite a substantial decline in ringtone sales.
The direct publishing route that mobile apps offer pushes video games publishers up the value chain, removing the need to license content. Revenues from mobile games sold through operators’ portals and Apple’s App Store are expected to grow by 40% in the next four years, reaching €2.8 billion by the end of 2013.
Screen Digest is confident that as mobile handsets increasingly converge with portable media players, the demand for paid-for mobile Video on Demand (VoD) will rise, and mobile will eventually become a substantial contributor to the global VoD market. Mobile builds a much better case for subscription-based VoD services since, unlike the home environment, the content cannot be accessed free elsewhere at the time of demand. As a result, Screen Digest believes that mobile video revenues will double in the course of the next four years to €1.7 billion, with most of the growth expected in 2010.
While 2009 has been a year of disillusionment for Mobile TV with crumbling adoption rates and most users watching it for free, the football World Cup in 2010 offers the opportunity to energize the market. Whether this sudden rush of demand can be sustained beyond the tournament remains to be seen.
Globally the number of Mobile TV subscribers is set to double in the next three years and will reach 230 million by the end of 2013 generating €1.7 billion. With a mobile population of over 1.5 billion users by the end of 2013, China and India are set to generate more revenue from Mobile TV services than Europe and North America combined.
“Companies such as Apple and Google have brought a much needed breath of fresh air to the mobile content industry by opening up the ecosystem, providing flexibility to developers and content providers, driving innovation and increasing consumer awareness,” says Ronan de Renesse, Senior Analyst at Screen Digest. “Whilst 2009 proved that there is strong demand for mobile content, 2010 will be much more about how to sustain usage. Falling prices, combined with exponential mobile data growth, will threaten the profitability of standalone mobile content services and data access. The successes of 2009 could become the nightmares of 2010.”

RTÉ Launches iPhone Apps

Radio station RTÉ has launched iPhone applications for its RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ 2fm stations. The apps are available free for both iPhone and iPod touch users. They were developed by David Timpson, RTÉ Radio’s Digital Production Co-ordinator, in conjunction with technology firm, All-In-Media.  
“These apps for iPhone and iPod touch are our latest new media offering for listeners. As a public service broadcaster, it’s our ambition to provide listeners with as many ways as possible to listen to radio so that they can listen whenever and however they want," says JP Coakley, Director of Operations at RTÉ Radio.
The RTÉ Radio 1 app offers users four functions: On Air, News, Podcasts and Contact. By choosing On Air, users can tune into whichever programme is currently broadcasting live on RTÉ Radio 1. Using the News function users can access RTÉ.ie’s mobile news service, featuring news, sport, business and entertainment news as well as RTÉ Aertel pages. With the Podcast function users can access and download podcasts from RTÉ Radio 1’s podcast archive. Podcasts are alphabetically listed and use Quicktime. With the Contact function users can instantly email live programmes from their iPhone or iPod touch.
The RTÉ 2fm app comes with one additional function called Just Played. This offers track information such as song name and artist about the track currently playing and tracks just played, as well as the opportunity to download tracks from the iTunes Store.
 

The Real Deal

David Murphy talks to Andreas Spechtler, Managing Director, Marketing for RealNetworks

DM: Andreas, I imagine a lot of people don’t realise that RealNetworks is in the Ringback Tone (RBT) business, how did you get involved?

AS: I came from Sony Net Services, which was an e-commerce innovation lab within Sony that was founded in 2000. When the Sony Walkman as a standalone MP3 player, lost the battle to the iPod, the music service division in Europe was sold to RealNetworks, and the deal included a contract with Vodafone for music, including RBTs, in seven Vodafone operating companies at that time. Since then, we have increased our coverage in Europe to more than ten countries.

DM: So on RBT, they tend to be a bit of an unknown quantity, in the UK at least. Why are you so enthusiastic about RBTs?

AS: RBTs are a hidden champion in the Value Added Services (VAS) market, because the penetration is enormous. They can work on any handset because they are network-based, and from a content perspective, there is no piracy And for some operators now, RBTs are overtaking standard ringtones in terms of revenues, as in Germany. RBTs are increasing, while ringtone sales are decreasing. We have produced our own figures that show that if you have an operator with 10 million subscribers, and you achieve 10% service penetration after three years, with a monthly subscription fee of €1 (£0.90), and a content fee of €1.50, then if the RBT subscriber buys, on average, 0.4 pieces of content per month, you are looking at €14 million of net revenue and €7.5 million of earnings after three years, and an ROI of less than one year.

DM: So if RBTs are such a money-spinner for a network, why are more operators not biting your hands off?

AS: Because they have too many other things to do and you need to involve the network guys to install the players, and you also have to convince their management that this is a good revenue stream.

DM: So how long does it take to launch an RBT service?

AS: Around six months. There are three elements to providing an RBT service: the network; the service platform; and the managed service around it. We provide an end-to-end solution and in return, we ask for a long-term commitment and a fair revenue share.

DM: And how many deployments do you have?

AS: We have four in Europe, four in the US, and 10 in Asia. The European deployments include Vodafone Turkey and Germany, and we will deploy with another Western European operator in a major market during 2010. And we are getting good traction in many regions, including Southern and Eastern Europe.

DM: Anything in the UK?

AS: RealNetworks has delivered a technical solution for 3 UK. But the problem with the UK is that no one is prepared to take a chance. Orange and 3 did it a couple of years ago, but it was a half-hearted approach. They bought a platform, but they never completed the
go to market model with a partner that could really ramp up the services

DM: Do you think maybe it’s just a cultural thing, that RBTs work well in some countries, but not in others?

AS: I have heard this argument many times, but it’s just one of the myths surrounding RBTs. There is no cultural barrier. The only barrier to RBT adoption is lack of awareness and promotion. When an operator really focuses on it and promotes the service, they can double the number of subscribers in a couple of weeks. SMS campaigns are particularly good at driving RBT sales.
RBTs are also pretty resilient. In mature markets, in tough economic times, RBT sales stagnate, but they don’t slide, because people like the personalization service so much. Churn is much lower than for other services; it’s a very sticky offering, and I think this message is beginning to get through now. In a time where some revenue streams are falling, this is a chance for operators to come back with a solid revenue model with loyal customers and an attractive service.

Myxer Unveils MobileStage

Myxer, which is committed to connecting artists and fans through mobile, has announced a broad expansion into the artist services realm with new offerings designed for enhanced mobile engagement and promotional opportunities, as well as several key strategic partnerships.
To complement the company’s music marketing offerings, Myxer has unveiled MobileStage, which it claims is the most comprehensive mobile marketing suite available to the music industry– featuring a music application distribution service for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android applications.
Myxer’s MobileStage offers artists free, enhanced mobile websites; mobile fanlist management and messaging; advanced data analytics; promotional initiatives for artists based on location and touring routes; and, for independent artists, A&R opportunities with some of the industry’s top music management professionals.
As part of Myxer’s application distribution service, the company will promote artist apps to its user base of nearly 30 million customers. The first of these includes BlackBerry apps for legendary rock acts, Pearl Jam and U2.
On behalf of INgrooves, a MobileStage launch partner, Myxer will feature iPhone apps from electronic music heavyweights, The Crystal Method and revered rock ‘mockumentary’ stars, Spinal Tap.
Myxer’s MobileStage is an evolution of the company’s core offerings, providing a one-stop shop for artists to use mobile music technology and tools to connect with fans in more personalized and engaging ways.
“When I’m working with my artists, I tell them there are three places they need to be – iTunes for the digital sales of their tracks, MySpace for their desktop fans, and Myxer for everything mobile,” says Kedar Massenburg, former President of Motown Records, and currently CEO of Kedar Entertainment.
“We listened very carefully to a large cross-section of artists, and one universal theme we heard was the artists’ desire for more engaging and personalized ways to connect with their fans,” adds Myxer CEO, Myk Willis. “We are thrilled to be working with industry leaders and expanding the breadth of our comprehensive suite of mobile products and services to help artists and labels across the spectrum.”
Myxer currently works with more than 100,000 artists, delivering customizable and feature-rich mobile content to help them connect with their fans in new ways. The company has several new features lined up for the coming months, including full-track downloads, streaming audio and video, as well as links to artist merchandise outposts, concert ticket purchase options and a much broader application distribution service.

 

Mobcast Secures Funds

Mobcast Services, the company behind the GoSpoken mobile books brand, has completed its second round funding, in which it has attracted investment from Japanese mobile book giant, For-Side.com Co., which sells 2 million eBooks per month to mobile devices. For-Side.com Co. has invested £1m in various instruments, equating to approximately a 15% stake, valuing the business at around £6.67 million.
Founded by Tony Lynch and Andy McNab, Mobcast offers platforms and technology that enables mobile phone operators to offer bestselling books alongside music and games. In the last 18 months, Mobcast Services has secured licensing and distribution agreements with major international publishers in the UK, USA & Europe, and with organisations including Apple, RIM, Nokia, Samsung, Vodafone, Orange, 3, T-Mobile and Verizon USA.
“The popularity of the eReader has taken everyone by surprise,” says Mobcast CEO, Tony Lynch. “We predict that in five years time, every book lover will be reading a book on their phone. It’s just too convenient.”

Meteor Selects IMImobile for Music Service

Irish mobile operator Metor has selected IMImobile to provide its subscribers with a flexible, full track music download service using IMImobile’s DaVinci Music service. Subscribers are able to buy and download over 1.4 million DRM free tracks from their PC and their mobile handset and immediately share music across any device.  
Subscribers will not need to buy and download the music multiple times to listen to music on their PC, mobile handset and music device. Instead, they will be able to access music wherever they are from the PC or mobile phone and automatically receive a free WAP link to download the music from a text message on their mobile and from their Meteor Account on the PC. Subscribers will be free to copy music onto any device without any restrictions on where, when or how tracks are played.
The DaVinci Music Service is provided through flexible modular architecture that make up IMImobile’s DaVinci service platform. This modular environment enables operators to enhance the user experience and create innovative services unique to their brand.  
Available immediately on over 1,500 handsets, Meteor’s Music Service will enable the operator  to connect with their subscribers through music, providing a user-centric experience and a rich choice of music from over 200 independent labels and mainstream labels including EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group.

MEF Launches Latin America Chapter

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) has launched a Latin America chapter, MEF LATAM, with an inaugural meeting in Sao Paulo that attracted over 100 companies across the value-chain last week. MEF LATAM’s mission will be to foster an environment conducive to driving mobile entertainment development across the region, by creating dialogue between the industry and regulators, as well as driving initiatives that promote best practices and sustainable business solutions. MEF LATAM has already attracted 26 major companies as founding members, including 2ergo, Buongiorno, Fox Mobile Distribution, Getjar, Nokia, Telefonica and Zed.
“MEF provides a strong vehicle for the mobile entertainment industry as a whole to represent its interests through one coherent voice,” says Ron Czerny, Acting Chair of MEF LATAM and CEO of Playphone. “The quality of the founding members is a great achievement for MEF LATAM which will serve as a source of strength for achieving solutions and clear results in the region.”
During the meeting, Filipe Roup Rosa was announced as General Manager, MEF LATAM. He is based in Sao Paulo which will serve as the regional headquarters.  Rosa says:
“The growth of mobile media in Latin America is exponential, but that speed has created gaps in regulation. MEF’s intention is to act strongly to address regulatory issues and tackle problems such as the tax burden on our industry with effective measures. We will also act quickly to elect the first regional board of MEF LATAM and implement the action plan set out by members.”

Study Highlights Content Discovery Issues

Xiam Technologies, a Qualcomm subsidiary providing discovery and recommendation solutions to mobile operators, has released the results from a study of mobile content users in the UK and the US that shows widespread consumer frustrations with their current mobile content discovery methods. 
Some key findings from the research, which surveyed active mobile content users from an original sample of 2,666, included:

• 80% of consumers surveyed reported experiencing a problem obtaining content on their mobile handsets
• 63% indicated that they would spend more time accessing or purchasing content if it was personalized and easier to find
• Time spent searching and downloading content was the most frequently mentioned problem
• Users estimated that they would increase the amount of time per week accessing mobile content by over one hour if that content was easier to find
• Likewise, users estimated that they would spend, on average, £4.80 more on mobile content if that content was easier to find and personalized
• Users who primarily accessed content via their operator’s services indicted they would be more likely to increase both time and money spent as a result of personalized recommendations

The study showed a consistent picture across both the US and the UK, says Xiam, with users broadly reporting the same frustrations and attitudes. While the company is presumably not too distressed about the findings, Colm Healy, Vice President of Qualcomm’s EMEA Services and General Manager of Xiam Technologies, says:
“One of the key messages from this research is that the industry has to evolve beyond simple search and move toward personal discovery, making the user’s experience more intuitive. These results point to a huge opportunity for operators to increase mobile data usage and sales by providing personalized mobile apps and content experiences.”

Mobile-paid Service Complaints Fall by 62%

PhonepayPlus, the phone-paid services regulator, has revealed a 62% drop in complaints about mobile phone-paid services in the 15 months between July 2008 (1,981 complaints) and October 2009 (746).
The news coincides with the publication by the EU of an update on the success of its 2008 Europe-wide clampdown on misleading websites offering mobile phone services, such as ringtones and wallpapers. The EU revealed yesterday that out of a total of 301 websites investigated by national enforcement authorities for serious breaches of EU consumer law, 70% of the 301 cases investigated, have now been resolved, with 52% (159 websites) corrected and 17% (54 websites) closed.
The issues raised by the EU included unclear pricing information; lack of contact information; hidden terms and conditions; and the word ‘free’ being used to mislead consumers into long-term contracts. Of the 43 UK websites checked, 39 were found to need further investigation, and five were potential cross-border cases, i.e. when the business, consumer and enforcement agency are not all based in the UK.
Working with the Office of Fair Trading, the statutory UK cross-border authority, PhonepayPlus examined the UK websites highlighted in the ‘sweep’. Many of the websites that appeared suspect transpired to be for services that were no longer in operation and hadn’t been updated in line with the current regulations. The remaining sites were dealt with through PhonepayPlus’ enforcement powers, including informal action with providers and formal PhonepayPlus adjudications; a few investigations are also still ongoing.
In addition, PhonepayPlus introduced new rules for mobile phone-paid services in January 2009. These measures aim to protect the public from a range of practices in the mobile premium content market which were causing complaints and undermining consumers' trust. The new rules include:

• Active confirmation: any consumer joining a subscription service which costs more than £4.50 per week must first receive a free confirmation text message detailing the cost and conditions of the service. The consumer cannot be charged until they have confirmed their subscription by replying to that text.
• Price transparency: price information must be clearly displayed as prominently as any other aspect of the promotion. Promotional material must not suggest any premium rate product or download is ‘free'.
• STOP: providers offering subscription services or sending promotional text messages must enable consumers to easily opt out of the service via the ‘STOP' command. Any failure of this command immediately results in the service being immediately shut down while PhonepayPlus investigates.

PhonepayPlus says it is confident that its strategic policy work, backed up by its enforcement powers, will continue to cut down on bad practice in this area.
Suhail Bhat, Policy and Initiatives Director at the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), says the PhonepayPlus figures show that when regulators and the mobile industry work together, services can operate in a compliant manner to the benefit of all. 
“This is mirrored by the Consumers and Convergence study recently undertaken by KPMG in association with MEF, which showed that consumer satisfaction with mobile music services had grown globally from 26% in 2007 to 66% in 2009,” says Bhat. “We would welcome discussion with the EU on the regulation of mobile services. The mobile entertainment industry is valued at $32 billion (£19 billion) globally, but the regulations for the same content vary tremendously and are applied inconsistently in different Member States. In many cases, there are multiple regulators with remits over both the advertising and content of services. As convergence becomes a reality, more discussion is needed to ensure consumers continue to enjoy mobile content services.”

GoSpoken Offers eBooks to Voda 360 Users

Digital book service provider GoSpoken.com is to offer Vodafone customers with Vodafone 360 mobiles across Europe eBooks to sample, buy and download from the Vodafone 360 Shop.
The service will offer hundreds of German and English ebooks. Selected titles will come with free eBook extracts to encourage users to experience the fluidity and mobility of reading books on their handset. Vodafone customers will eventually have access to a catalogue of thousands of free and paid for ebooks in many languages.
“Mobile books constitute a new growth opportunity and are an exciting addition to the range of content on the Vodafone 360 Shop,” says Amer Hasan, Senior Manager, Apps & Developer Marketing at Vodafone Group. “We are delighted that GoSpoken.com have leveraged our Vodafone 360 platform to offer relevant, best-selling content for our customers in the markets we’re launching in.” 
GoSpoken.com’s parent company, Mobcast Services, has agreements with major publishers with access to thousands of eBooks covering a broad range of genres, including languages, business, sport and fiction. The company already offers German bestselling titles and is in the process of aggregating local language European content as it becomes available in a digital format.
Audio books will be available on Vodafone 360 later this year, starting with the award-winning Pimsleur language learning books. 

Muzicall Raises Funds for Expansion

Muzicall, which provides Ringback Tone (RBT) services in Europe, has raised €9 million (£8.2 Million) in its latest round of funding, which sees existing investors BlueRun Ventures and Thule joined by Orkos Capital, Veddis Ventures and GP Bullhound.
Muzicall provides outsourced, end-to-end RBT services to many of Europe’s leading operators, including Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile. The company says the funding will enable it to further implement its vision of making RBTs – usually a piece of music that replaces the ringing   sound a caller hears before their phone call is answered – available to all European mobile phone users.
“The completion of this round of funding puts us in an excellent position to expand throughout Europe and demonstrate that the huge revenues RBTs are delivering for operators in Asia and the US can be realised here too,” says CEO Patrick Allainguillaume. “Only about 2% of European mobile users currently have a ringback tone; in parts of Asia that number is approximately 40-50%. Our unique approach enables RBTs to be sold through many sales channels, including the big direct-to-consumer brands, and exponentially increase awareness and sales by using the mass market media power of these mobile content sellers. Using this strategy, we believe that we can rapidly raise the penetration rate for RBTs in Europe.”
The completion of Muzicall’s funding follows a report from market research consultancy, MultiMedia Intelligence, which says that RBTs will drive the mobile premium content market, which is expected to triple in value to $4.7 billion (£2.8 billion) by 2012. Likewise, analysts IDC predict that ringback tones will overtake ringtones in 2010 and become the single largest revenue source for mobile entertainment.
While RBTs typically consist of music, the customer can also choose from movie clips, TV show theme tunes, sound effects and numerous other sounds. Muzicall’s RBT.4.ALL platform enables customers to create their own content library, giving them the ability to assign a different tune for different callers, creating a rich and personalised experience.

RealNetworks in Slovenian Deployment

Digital entertainment services company RealNetworks has transitioned the music service for mobilkom austria group’s (MAG) Si.mobil to its platform, adding all-you-can-eat functionality and upgrading the service to Real’s mobile and PC client interface. This is the second deployment under Real’s 4-year agreement with MAG.
“After seeing significant growth in both downloads and music subscribers enjoyed by our sister company, A1 in Austria, we are eager to launch our music service on the Real platform,” says Si.mobil Marketing Director, Peter Curk. “RealNetworks’ UI is clean and simple, and the platform is flexible enough to offer innovative pricing models for our subscribers, making it the obvious choice for success in mobile music.”
Si.mobil offers a bundled plan, ORTO MUZIQ, which includes unlimited music, free in-network calls, 1,001 SMS messages, 1,001 MMS messages, access to the Vodafone live! portal and 100MB of data for €15/month (£13). Alternatively, subscribers can choose to access the revamped MUZIQ portal, where they can choose full-track downloads on their handsets or PCs from variety of genres and artists.
Real also powers the music services that make mobile music available to hundreds of millions of subscribers in Europe, including mobilkom austria group’s A1 in Austria, and Vodafone music stores in nine countries, including the UK, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Greece, The Netherlands, Romania and Spain.
In total, Real’s ASP services are currently available through 83 different mobile operators in 45 countries worldwide.  Real offers mobile operators a selection of mobile services, including music; video; personalisation features such as Ringtones, Ringback Tone and multimedia Ringback services; and messaging services.

ROK Buys Textic

ROK Entertainment Group has bought text-to-speech provider Textic for an undisclosed sum. The Textic service, originally designed to automatically convert typed words on websites into audible speech, will be developed for mobile phones and eBooks, and will be re-launched as ROK Talk.
“The acquisition of Textic represents an enormous opportunity on many levels, not least for the benefit of the blind or partially sighted, but also for the under-educated and illiterate, as well as the millions of people affected by dyslexia, worldwide,” says ROK Chairman and CEO, Jonathan Kendrick.
Kendrick adds that in the US, it is law for all Governmental and commercial websites to offer text-to-speech functionality under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and says that ROK is aware that similar obligations are expected to become law in the UK and across Europe in the near future.
There are approximately 350,000 people who are registered as being blind or partially sighted in the UK, most of whom are partially or entirely excluded from the socio-economic benefits of the internet as a direct result of the lack of text-to-speech software on most websites. In addition, there are an estimated 1 million people in the UK who suffer from dyslexia or similar reading disabilities along with an estimated 5% of the entire global adult population.
Textic, founded in 2007 and based in Maidenhead, UK, has specialised in the development of advanced, assistive and creative text-to-speech technologies, which, in its various forms, converts web text to clear, human-like speech in a range of voices and languages.
Early adopters of the text-to-speech service in the UK have included County Councils, police forces in Northamptonshire, Kent, Sussex, Wiltshire and Staffordshire, the NHS authority in Great Yarmouth and Sheffield, Investors in People, the Gloucester Housing Association and the Down’s Syndrome Association.

"Cracking Comics Gromit!"

Titan Publishing has launched a Wallace & Gromit comic strip series for the iPhone. The first batch of comics includes strips written by Dan Abnett (Legion, Nova, The Authority) and Simon Furman (Transformers, Terminator 2 comic), with more to be released in the coming weeks.
Wallace & Gromit comics are available from Apple’s App store now. Initially there are four comic stories to download including: ‘The W-Files’, ‘Parts & Labour’, ‘Big in Japan’ and ‘Where there’s Muck there’s Brass’ each priced at £0.59/$0.99.
Each comic is a complete Wallace & Gromit adventure and is packed with bonus features on the inveterate inventor and his faithful canine companion.

Shazam Encore Debuts on the App Store

Mobile music discovery service Shazam has launched its Shazam Encore application on the Apple App Store. Shazam has enjoyed over 10 million downloads from the App Store to date, and Shazam says the new app will make it even easier for iPhone and iPod touch users to learn more about the music they love.
Shazam Encore offers faster performance, enabling users to tag tracks more quickly; music recommendations; a search facility from a database of over 8 million songs; and a ‘Drive and Tag’ feature, which automatically switches Shazam into ‘Car’ mode when the iPhone is placed in an in-car dock to make it simple to discover what’s playing on the radio while driving.
Shazam will continue to support the existing free Shazam app on the App Store with new users limited to five Tags per month. This free app has also been enhanced with services such as the ability to share Tags onto a Facebook mini-feed. 
“Since our launch on the App Store, Shazam has achieved a huge following with iPhone and iPod touch users, and is now one of the most popular music apps in the world,” says Shazam CEO, Andrew Fisher. “We have listened to our iPhone and iPod touch users and have created a new app which answers their requests to take them on an enhanced music journey that will change the way music lovers experience and learn about music.”
The Shazam Encore app is available for £2.99/€3.99/$4.99, depending on location, from the App Store. Both Shazam apps are live in 22 countries across the world, with local language versions available in English (UK and US), German, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese and Japanese.

Myxer in Day and Date Mobile First

Mobile entertainment firm Myxer and global animation collaboration Mass Animation are partnering in the first ever ‘day and date’ theatrical and mobile movie release. The movie in question is ‘Live Music’, a 6-minute animated short, which will appear ahead of Sony Pictures’ screening of ‘Planet 51’, a full-length animated movie. Live Music will be available for purchase on mobile on 20 Nov, the same date that Planet 51 launches theatrically. .
Live Music started with the creation of a virtual studio on Facebook and an open invitation to artists around the world to collaborate in the making of an animated short film. Over 58,000 fans worldwide joined the community with 51 finalist animators from 17 countries credited in the film.
“Myxer is thrilled to be part of the ground-breaking collaboration, Live Music, as it ties in with so many of our passions - music, innovation and content contributions from tens of thousands of individuals,” says Myxer CEO, Myk Willis. “The mobile entertainment industry continues to evolve at such a rapid pace; we’re excited to part of this first-ever simultaneous release in theaters and on mobile.”

Bharti Airtel Makes Comical Move

Asian telco Bharti Airtel has announced the launch of India’s first ever live mobile comic service on its mobile entertainment portal, Airtel Live.
Airtel’s ‘Comics Portal’ enables subscribers with WAP-enabled handsets to access more than 300 Indian and international comic characters, including Doga, Birbal, Animal Crackers and Dick Tracey as well as comics supplied by Amar Chitra Katha.
Airtel customers can access the Comics Portal service by texting COMICS or COMIC to 54321. The service, which is compatible with all GPRS-enabled handsets, Rs10 (£0.12) per week for 10 Comic Strips (inclusive of data charges). The  Comics Portal has been developed by Indian mobile VAS provider Shotformats Digital Productions and ROK Entertainment Group, the UK-based mobile technologies company.
“Comics have the power to make us smile or laugh out loud, transcending all boundaries of age, class and culture,” says Saleem Mobhani, Head of M-Entertainment at Bharti Airtel. “More than a third of Airtel customers in India have GPRS-enabled handsets and, with the mobile becoming the one-stop device for all entertainment needs, comics are a much sought-after addition to our existing services on Airtel Live. From childhood favourites like Robin Hood, to the more local Nagaraj, the Comics Portal will make our customers laugh aloud, at least once a day.”

Adeye Buys Storyz

Adeye, which describes itself as a “social mobile media house that offers complete social and mobile strategies for agencies, brands and advertisers” has bought Storyz, the entertainment and marketing service that lets friends tell multimedia-rich stories online and while mobile, for an undisclosed sum.  
Storyz challenges users to take part in branded entertainment contests that offer rewards for distribution and creativity. From celebrity look-a-like competitions with photos taken on mobile phones, to personal anecdotes about life experiences involving travel or lifestyle brands, these multilayered conversations created through the Storyz platform weave through social media channels as users invite others to join.
Storyz recently won the Handango Champion Award for ‘Best Social/Messaging App’ on Android, and will become part of Adeye’s offering across the mobile and social media arenas. Storyz will be offered as a white label solution for media organizations that want to enable mobile-to-web interaction, enabling them to build a ‘user-generated news’-type service to engage with users.
The Storyz service will immediately be available to all Adeye clients including the advertisers, brands and agencies already working with the company for mobile and social media campaigns.
Adeye will maintain the Storyz offices in Australia for business development and sales, and will move research and development to its headquarters in London. The company is also planning to open new offices in New York and San Francisco soon.
“Storyz is fun, social, impossible to ignore, and a perfect fit for our existing suite of offerings,” says Adeye CEO, Tommy Jensen. “The team at Storyz has developed a world-class social messaging platform that is delivered across web, mobile, and existing social networks. We are delighted to be making this strategic acquisition that will give our clients even greater choices in their mobile strategies.”

Java Leads the Way in Mobile eBook Downloads

ebook community Wattpad has released its Q3 2009 Global Ebook Metrics Report. The report covers both country and handset/manufacturer data based on ebook usage of subscribers of over 600 mobile operators in 160 countries.
The report reveals that Wattpad continues to be the world’s most downloaded mobile ebook application with over 4 million downloads to date. Although Java devices continue to be the most popular mobile ebook devices, the usage gap between Java devices and iPhone is shrinking. Fewer than 50% of ebook consumption was on Java devices in Q3 ’09, while 42% of was on iPhone. This compares to 63% for Java devices and 33% for iPhone in the previous quarter. BlackBerry usage has grown almost 160% compared to Q2.
The US has replaced Indonesia as the leading country in mobile ebook consumption. Its dominance comes mainly from the iPhone market. In the non-iPhone market, Indonesia and Vietnam together contribute to more than two thirds of the market.
iPhone users are reading the most frequently, registering 2.6 sessions per day, compared to Java phone users at 2.4 sessions per day, Blackberry users at 1.6 sessions per day and Android users at just less than 1.4 sessions per day.
You can access the full Q3 2009 report here.

Myxer in Blu-ray Move

Myxer, which provides ad-supported mobile entertainment content, has expanded its mobile content delivery platform to include Blu-ray discs, in a partnership with film studio Lionsgate.
Owners of the ‘Crank 2’ Blu-ray disc can access exclusive ringtones and mobile wallpapers from Crank 2 directly from Lionsgate Live, a BD Live-based menu system that delivers updateable exclusive content such as commentaries, games, ringtones, wallpapers, trailers and more via a series of on-screen notifications and widgets.
Using a remote control to preview and select mobile content on their TV screens, users can click to send an item to their mobile phone. The offering leverages Myxer’s technology and Lionsgate’s latest BD-Live enabled disc.

GoSpoken Goes French

Mobcast Services, which operates the digital book service GoSpoken.com, and French romantic fiction publisher Harlequin, have announced a partnership to distribute their French language eBooks to mobile phones.
Mobcast will distribute Editions Harlequin’s eBook catalogue on GoSpoken.com and across partners’ app stores, making French language titles available for Blackberry, Nokia and Sony Ericsson customers that use the BlackBerry App World, Nokia Ovi store and Play-Now Arena app stores.
“Following the success of our partnership with Mills & Boon in the UK, we know romance novels are extremely popular on personal devices like mobile phones,” says Mobcast Business Development Manager, Gwen Delhumeau. “It was an obvious choice to select worldwide bestselling author Nora Roberts (300 million books sold worldwide in over 20 languages) for the first French eBook of our catalogue.” 
GoSpoken.com now offers more than 8,200 titles, and will have a catalogue of 25,000 by the end of 2009, growing to 100,000 in 2010. The service is accessible at GoSpoken.com or by texting SPOKEN to 60300 from the UK.