Web-Based Platform Processes Sales Data From More Than 60 Mobile Operators Including Sprint, Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile

SAN DIEGO — RoyaltyShare, a premier provider of digital royalty solutions to the entertainment industry, today announced expanded support for processing sales data from mobile music services. Labels making their content available through leading mobile music services including Sprint, Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, NineSquared, MobileStreams, Hudson, Jamster, Zingy and Groove Mobile, are now able to leverage the suite of Web-based royalty processing services offered by RoyaltyShare to consolidate, manage and process data from digital music download, ringtone, ringback and other revenue streams.

Recent advances from handset manufacturers and content providers in developing customer friendly service offerings have helped drive an increase in the consumer adoption of mobile music services. Recent industry research forecasts that wireless music and ring tone downloads will generate more than $32 billion dollars in revenue by 2010, accounting for a significant portion of total music sales worldwide.

As record labels continue to make their digital content available through a variety of online and mobile sales channels, they are tasked with the responsibility of collecting and reporting royalty statements to content owners and copyright holders. The detailed nature of modern royalties and the constantly changing landscape of digital copyright laws require a massive, scalable royalty reporting system capable of processing a staggering volume of sales data.

The cost and effort of building and maintaining such a data import and royalty-processing infrastructure would be prohibitive for one label to develop. By outsourcing this business critical function to RoyaltyShare, record labels are able to leverage RoyaltyShare’s technology infrastructure and royalty expertise to manage this responsibility efficiently.

“As mobile channels continue to increase market share in the digital music space, record labels have come under increased scrutiny from artists and music publishers who expect timely and accurate royalty reporting,” said Steve Grady, president & COO of RoyaltyShare. “Even the most technologically advanced records labels have found it immensely difficult to develop an IT infrastructure that can manage the inherent complexity and volume of digital music sales. RoyaltyShare removes this complexity by supporting and maintaining interfaces with content providers and royalty payees, giving customers the freedom to focus on what matters - how to market and sell music through mobile sales channels.”

Utilizing custom data importers to support mobile services, RoyaltyShare imports, manages and consolidates sales data from all the major digital distribution retailers. The suite of services offered provides a standard Web-browser interface, enabling customers to dynamically track all aspects of the incoming sales data. The graphical reporting environment allows carriers to gain a new level of insight into their digital sales channels that helps to facilitate intelligent marketing decisions.

RoyaltyShare’s technology is currently used by more than 50 leading independent records labels and mobile music distributors. The service features a simple fee structure based on the volume of revenue processed, making it a cost effective solution.

Source:Sys Con Media

Country singers and their record labels may not have been the first to peddle hit songs as cell phone ringtones - mobile song snippets that sell for $2 or $4 a pop - but slow and steady growth could end up paying surprising dividends for Music Row in Nashville, Tenn.

A forecast released last week estimates an 8 percent drop in overall ringtone sales to $550 million in 2007, according to BMI, an organization that collects and distributes performance royalties to songwriters and publishers.

But in Nashville - and for country artists and their record labels - the news is not nearly as bad.

Jaimee Minney, a spokeswoman for M:Metrics, a mobile technology research firm in Seattle, says country music ringtones are posting gains while national sales for all genres combined fall. Helping boost country numbers are more purchases by women and adult males, Minney says.

An even brighter silver lining for record companies, Minney says, is that so-called master ringtones - actual song clips for which the labels and artists each get paid - have begun to eclipse standard (or polyphonic) ringtones, which generally consist of a song’s melody without the words. Only composers get paid for those brief tunes.

Heather McBee, senior director of digital business and new media for Sony BMG Nashville, says master ringtones are starting to click with country music fans as phones that can handle more sophisticated digital music technology become widely available.

“Our consumers are not typically early adopters of new technologies,” McBee says. “The country demographic is now catching on to ringtones, and that’s why you’re seeing growth.”

On March 22, Waylon Jennings’ theme song from “The Dukes of Hazzard” was the first country ringtone to be certified platinum, meaning it has sold more than 1 million copies.

Other top sellers include Trace Adkins’ “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” and Big & Rich’s “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy).”

Minney says ringtones are experiencing a decline in sales among younger consumers, who are largely made up of hip-hop and rap fans who drove much of the category’s early growth. Between 2003 and 2006, the U.S. ringtone market grew nearly tenfold from $68 million to $600 million.

“Even though we are starting to see ringtone sales leveling off, we’re seeing the number of people who are creating their own ringtones going up,” she says.

In other words, newer phones with more digital music capabilities are making it easier - and less expensive - to create ringtones from a user’s personal music collection. A surge of smarter phones in the U.S. also may have helped bolster the market for ringbacks, which are song snippets that a caller hears in place of the ring that’s typically heard when calling someone.

For the first time since it started tracking the ringtone market, BMI’s forecast included an estimate that sales of ringbacks in the U.S. will reach $65 million in 2007.

Some experts say the next wave of potential growth for mobile music probably will come with streaming or downloaded services that many expect will be sparked by Apple’s hotly anticipated introduction of the iPhone in June.

Sony BMG’s McBee says that while the introduction of new music phone devices could eat into future ringtone sales for country, any technology that allows for more music sales is a good thing for the labels.

“Any device that gives us more of an opportunity to sell music,” she says, “I’m all for that.”

Popular country ringtones
These are the country tunes making a mark as hot-selling ringtones:

1. Carrie Underwood: “Before He Cheats”

2. Brooks & Dunn: “Hillbilly Deluxe”

3. Dixie Chicks: “Not Ready To Make Nice”

4. Brad Paisley: “She’s Everything”

5. Waylon Jennings: “Theme From ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’”

6. Keith Urban: “Stupid Boy”

7. Trace Adkins: “Ladies Love Country Boys”

8. Carrie Underwood: “Jesus, Take the Wheel”

9. Trace Adkins: “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”

10. Carrie Underwood: “Wasted”

11. Lonestar: “Amazed”

12. Kellie Pickler: “Red High Heels”

13. Jason Aldean: “Amarillo Sky”

14. Alan Jackson: “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”

15. Kenny Chesney: “Beer In Mexico”

16. Gretchen Wilson: “Redneck Woman”

17. Big & Rich: “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)”

18. Rascal Flatts: “Life is a Highway” (from the movie “Cars”)

19. Johnny Cash: “Ring Of Fire”

20. Kenny Chesney: “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”

Source:The Daily Advertiser

The Wall Street Journal is running a fluff piece that sums up Sprint’s mobile music services. Perhaps the most interesting point of the article was that Sprint is working to target other user segments beyond youth, especially “mature women with ample purchasing power.” However, most in that segment won’t shell out the hundreds of dollars for the necessary handset. While it offers little in the way of new information, the stats serve as an interesting watermark leading into CTIA:

Sprint spent more than $1 billion on its network so that it could handle data-heavy content and will have to spend more to make it available nationwide.
Only 250,000 of its 47.5 million customers have phones capable of operating on its new network.
Sprint has deals with about 300 content companies.
All 400,000 songs in the Sprint Music Store are from the four major labels.
Sprint COO Len Lauer said the company “doesn’t work to exclude content,” but wants to keep the downloading process simple. Lauer called it a “compromise” between being open to partners and ensuring best usability of content.

Source:Fierce Mobile Content

Microsoft announced it is in talks with EMI Music and other major record labels to begin selling DRM-free downloads for its Zune portable media player. “Consumers have made it clear that unprotected music is something they want,” Microsoft spokeswoman Katy Asher said in an e-mail to the IDG News Service. “We plan on offering it to them as soon as our label partners are comfortable with it.”

The news follows rival Apple’s announcement that it will begin selling unrestricted content from the EMI catalog next month. Apple’s iTunes digital storefront will offer DRM-free EMI content at a higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding–each track will cost $1.29, as opposed to the 99 cents Apple charges for downloads with DRM and 128 kbps AAC encoding.

Microsoft released Zune and its Zune Marketplace storefront in November 2006. Early sales reports suggest the device has done little to cut into the iPod market share: According to figures compiled by consumer research firm NPD, in February 2007 Apple controlled 73.7 percent of the U.S. portable music player market, while Microsoft claimed just 2.3 percent, behind SanDisk and Creative. Zune, a device touted for its wireless content-sharing capabilities, also has suffered from technological snafus preventing the service from working as promised, prompting Microsoft to issue a statement denying rumors that record labels are preventing sharing of songs by certain acts.

Source:Fierce Mobile Content

A number of museums have joined together to create Museum On The Go, which will offer images of famous works of art, photographs of historic personalities, voice and sound recordings, music and video for download to mobile devices. The Kunsthistorisches Museum, Leopold Museum, Sigmund Freud Museum, Austrian Mediathek, Erich Lessing Archive, all in Vienna, Austria; Museum of Natural History, Sound Archive of the of the Humboldt-University, both Berlin, Germany and the National Sound Archives in Jerusalem, Israel will offer images for wallpapers or greeting cards of famous artists, like Rubens and Van Gogh, music from composers like Mozart, original voice recordings from historical figures, and recordings of ethnic or religious music as well as dialects from the last century from a variety of countries and cultures. The wallpapers go for 1.99 euros (US$2.67), realtones for 2.99 euros (US$4) and videos for up to 3.99 euros (US$5.36). (release)

Source:Moconews

The MozzyTone (the official ringtone based on the high-pitched sound that adults are supposed to be unable to hear) has officially launched…there’s been a lot of buzz about it lately, especially after NYT did a cover story on it, but I’m not sure that will convert into sales. It’s being sold by Opera Telecom, and the website only has details for the UK, Australia and South Africa, but I’m pretty sure there’s plans for US sales.
Here’s a scary thought for you…remember when everyone was asking what would be the next Crazy Frog? Pray this isn’t it…

Source:mocoNews

With the Jabra BT620s, you can get immersed in hi-fi stereo music straight from your smartphone. Switch instantly between enjoying your music and talking on the phone. The music pauses/stops automatically when a call comes in* – so you can choose to answer the call, or just keep on grooving.

So turn up the volume and get lost in music – without losing touch.Use with your PC, music player or other Bluetooth deviceOne of the great things about the Jabra BT620s is that it can be used with various Bluetooth devices

You can connect your Jabra BT620s with 2 devices, enabling music playing and phone connectivity at the same time. This means you never have to miss a call unless you want to, and you don’t have to change your headset when you want to listen to music on another device.

Unplugged stereo sound

he Jabra BT620s is one of the first wireless stereo headsets on the market, so you can enjoy the convenience of hands-free communication and mobile music without being tied up in wires. With two precision speakers, you’ll be guaranteed the crystal clear sound reproduction you need to really get the most out of your favorite music. Offering up to 16 hours talk time or up to 14 hours wireless music streaming, so you can move with your music more easily than ever.

Source:Mobile.lockergnome

Nice car racing games in 3D, that work with all Windows Mobile devices.

Fasten your seat belt, zoom over the city stages, whiz by splendid landmarks and cheering crowd, push the limits of your vehicle to win the champion. Snow Rally City Stage is a solid city racing game with the best 3D graphics on mobile and handheld devices offering breathtaking gaming experience and gorgeous city scenery.

Game Features

• Game console like 3D graphics
• City racing courses feature with stunning city scene
• World rally cars with lifelike physics simulation
• Advanced game opponent AI generates exciting racing experience
• Life video record and video replay
• Supports all screen size and layout: QVGA vertical / landscape, VGA vertical / landscape, square screen 240×240 / 320×320, smartphone 176×220
• Supports all Windows Mobile OS: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2003 Second Edition, 5, 6.

Source:Msmobiles

Boston-based startup 80108 Media launched a free SMS-based messaging service promising timely missives targeted to 18-to-34-year-old mobile consumers in 15 urban U.S. areas. Subscribers who opt in to the service by signing up at 80108.com will receive text messages announcing upcoming events in content categories including local music, fashion and sports–according to 80108 Media, it will transmit roughly three messages per week per category, each written by “mobile correspondents” touted as insider experts on their particular area of reporting. According to The Boston Globe, 80108 Media has already raised $12 million in venture funding. “What we’re looking to do is not to fill, but really to create a service by and for this generation of mobile users who are very active socially, who tend to be out and about quite a bit,” co-founder and CEO Rob Adler told the newspaper. “As much time as they spend online, they spend a lot of time offline–but they’re always on their mobile.”

Source:Fiercemobilecontent

Mobile is not just another channel through which to push the same rehashed content. If the consumer is really going to be in focus, mobile content must be new, original and personalized.
The challenge for both media companies and service providers is not the mere availability of content for the mobile channel, but deciding which content is best for this medium.

Speaking during the CTIA Wireless mobile TV seminar, Tammy Franklin, vice president at Turner Broadcasting, says it is still too early to know what consumers will want to watch: “We are excited because we are all going to learn.”

Content already being produced and distributed to mobile users includes music downloads and streaming, mobile TV and mobile advertising. And while some see the mobile phone as just another way to get consumers to engage with their brands, others see it is as a fresh new medium for original and personalized content.

Technology providers, such as Ericsson, are playing a critical role in this by making it possible for companies to make their content mobile. Ericsson provides hosting and managed services to both service providers and media companies.

Dobson Communications, with 1.6 million subscribers, looked to Ericsson to help it enter into new distribution channels through a hosting solution. Ericsson has also formed a relationship with Turner Broadcasting, to help it mobilize content for its CNN Mobile channel.

Greg Clayman, senior vice president, MTV Networks, says: “A generation that has come to expect participation, personalization and customization is not getting enough of this yet in the wireless space.”

Many producers are looking at the mobile medium as a way to offer exclusive artist content, says Michael Nash, senior vice president, Warner Music Group: “People will buy content on their mobile phones if we make content available that they can’t get on another platform.”

Bill Stone, CEO of Amp’d Mobile, argues that this exclusive content is revolutionizing some of the existing models in the media world. “I think a lot of people are frustrated with the old-school media approach,” he says.

Amp’d recently launched a mobile TV show called Lil’ Bush that was so enormously popular it was picked up and syndicated by a major television channel, Comedy Central. This would be the first time a popular TV show originated in the mobile sphere.

Whether it’s TV, music or advertising, original mobile content is interesting to all players because it encourages consumer loyalty and increases demand for content that cannot be found on other devices or platforms.

So will mobile be another medium for the most popular content, or will it be an incubator for new and original material? It is still too early to make that judgment but consumers are expected most likely to reward service providers and media producers for new and refreshing mobile content.

Those returns can only be achieved if operators have the business models and support to offer customers what they want. Ericsson’s hosting and managed services create the opportunity for operators to reap these rewards.

Source:Ericsson