Omnifone to introduce world's first pre-licensed unlimited mobile music phones, with MusicStation Max
- Omnifone announces MusicStation Max direct to mobile unlimited
music service
- Omnifone signs partnership with LG to introduce the first handset
worldwide to incorporate MusicStation Max - MusicStation Max phones to be demonstrated to key operators,
press and analysts during Mobile World Congress, Barcelona
Barcelona, 12 February 2008 – Omnifone, which provides unlimited music download services in partnership with major operators worldwide, announces the launch of the MusicStation Max unlimited mobile music handset programme.
In partnership with major handset manufacturers and operators, MusicStation
Max will give consumers the freedom to download, play and share unlimited
amounts of music, wherever they are, for free, directly to their MusicStation Max
pre-licensed music phones.
Omnifone announces LG is the first manufacturer to sign up for the MusicStation
Max programme, with the first LG MusicStation Max handsets due to be released
in the first half of 2008.
The first MusicStation Max devices will be compatible with any 3G/HSDPA
network, and gives consumers a next generation touch-screen user interface with
immediate access to the world’s music, wherever they are.
MusicStation Max handsets are pre-licensed, meaning consumers do not have to
pay for music but simply sign up to a special music, voice and data plan, which
will enable them to download unlimited amounts of music, direct to their device,
over the mobile network, for between 12 and 18 months.*
At the end of this initial period, MusicStation Max users will be able to migrate
their consumer experience to their next MusicStation Max device and continue
experiencing the benefits of unlimited music downloads, or alternatively keep
playing their favourite tracks on their current phone for no extra charge.
“Consumers will come to expect unlimited mobile music downloads direct to their
phone, whenever they want,” said Rob Lewis, CEO of Omnifone. “The new
MusicStation Max handsets will give consumers the ultimate music freedom; the
ability to download, discover, play and share whatever music they want,
wherever they are.”
MusicStation Max features a full PC companion product which gives consumers an
automatically-synchronised experience across both desktop and mobile handset.
Changes in tracks, artists, albums, playlists, friends and recommendations are
automatically synchronised, without the need for wires or human intervention
A full back-up of the MusicStation Max user experience is also stored in real time
on the data network, in case of handset failure, loss or theft.
Lewis added, “Unlike traditional music phones, consumers will have their entire
MusicStation Max experience, including their playlists, friends and
recommendations, backed up on the data network in case their device is ever
lost, broken or stolen. Users will never lose their music experience ever again”.
LG first to market with MusicStation Max
LG will work with Omnifone to introduce a range of pre-licensed high speed 3G
and HSDPA unlimited music download mobile handsets, during the first half of
2008.
“MusicStation Max gives LG the opportunity to deliver a handset that can
download unlimited amounts of music, direct-to-mobile, over the mobile data
network,” said Dominique Oh, V.P of LG Electronics Mobile Communications
Company.
Oh added, “We are focused on working closely with our operator partners around
the world. We see MusicStation Max as a hero handset for unlimited music
downloads. It reinforces our strategy to deliver not only beautiful handsets, but
handsets that deliver higher subscriber revenues and ARPU to our operator
partners. And for the consumer they now have further opportunity get unlimited
access to the music they want, wherever they are, over 3G and HSDPA.”
MusicStation Max opens up mobile music revenues
Partner networks distributing MusicStation Max will be establishing a series of
special music, voice and data plans when they stock the product, enabling
consumers to access whatever music they want, whenever they want, wherever
they are. Because the handsets are pre-licensed, the operator retains the full
value of the MusicStation Max music, voice and data plan.
MusicStation Max not only enables monetisation of the data network and
increases ARPU, but is designed to also increase customer loyalty. Uniquely,
MusicStation Max comes with sophisticated community features, including sharing
of playlists and tracks with friends and personalised music recommendations.
MusicStation Max provides an opportunity for partner operators to attract new
high value customers. Because subscriber playlists, library, friends and profiles
are automatically restored on upgrade or replacement of MusicStation Max
handsets, customer loyalty is enhanced and churn reduced.
Omnifone and LG also expect existing MusicStation partner networks to consider
MusicStation Max devices as hero handsets for distribution through existing retail
channels, providing an opportunity for those operators to offer additional benefits
to their subscribers.
“Working in partnership with handset manufacturers as well as carriers on a
global basis, we will enable a wider audience of mobile users to get access to
unlimited music, whenever they want, wherever they are, directly over the mobile
phone data network,” said Lewis.
Omnifone already has international license agreements in place for unlimited
music downloads with all four major international music labels and many
hundreds of independent labels for MusicStation.
Lewis added, “We intend to deliver the ultimate flexibility and value to
MusicStation Max users, providing handsets with free unlimited access to a vast
catalogue of repertoire from all the major labels and many independents.”
Analyst opinion
David Sidebottom, Mobile Industry Analyst at Understanding & Solutions
commented, “The service is the next step in the evolution of mobile music. By
2011, the total mobile music market will be worth in excess of $11bn worldwide,
with unlimited mobile music services set to be a key component of these
revenues.”
MusicStation Max previews
Key journalists, analysts and operator partners will be invited to attend a sneak
preview of the first MusicStation Max phone during Mobile World Congress in
Barcelona. Journalists and analysts attending should note that photography will
not be permitted.
*Dependent on operator contract.
Ends
*Omnifone is exhibiting at Mobile World Congress, Fira de Barcelona, Hall 7,
Stand C69.
*Omnifone CEO Rob Lewis will be speaking at the Mobile World Congress Mobile
BackStage event at the Palau Nacional, Fira de Barcelona on Wednesday
13/02/2008 at 10:45am – 11:45am: Panel Title: “Music Unlimited”
About Omnifone
Omnifone is Europe's leading direct to mobile unlimited music download service
provider. Partners include the likes of Vodafone, Telenor, 3 Hong Kong and
Vodacom. Over 25 other operators have engaged as partners. In 2007,
Omnifone won the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) Music Service Award, the
Red Herring EMEA and Red Herring Global 100 Awards, and in 2008, the Juniper
Research Future Mobile Award’s Gold Award for Mobile Music. Omnifone is
nominated for Best Mobile Music Service at the upcoming 2008 Global Mobile
Awards. The company is based at Island Studios, London with regional HQs in
Asia Pacific. For further information please visit; www.omnifone.com
About MusicStation
MusicStation is an unlimited music download service that will run on virtually all
2.5G/3G/HSDPA music compatible mobiles. MusicStation provides a virtually
identical next generation community based user experience across all
manufacturer handsets. Built-in networked functions provide the ability to make
friends, build and share playlists and individual tracks with other mobile users
and receive music news and recommendations based on player behaviour using
collaborative filtering and nearest neighbour technology.
MusicStation stores downloaded tracks on the phone's internal or removable
memory and these and the related meta-data are fully backed up so that if a
user’s mobile is stolen, lost or upgraded, the replacement handset will
automatically restore the customer’s music, playlists, friends and references to
the replacement handset. MusicStation users can listen to downloaded tracks
when in Flight Safe mode and have unlimited access to the full catalogue when
connected to a 2.5G/3G/HSDPA network.
Media contacts:
Omnifone
Tim Hadley
PR director
Omnifone
Tel: +44 (0)7976 410001
thadley@omnifone.com
