Omnifone in International Partnership to Power Sony Ericsson Unlimited Music Phones
24/09/2008 08:06
PR Newswire
LONDON, September 24 /PRNewswire/ --
- Sony Ericsson Chooses Omnifone to Power PlayNow(TM) Plus Unlimited
Music Service
- Omnifone and Sony Ericsson Agree Licensing Terms With all Four Majors
and Leading Independents
- Revolutionary Keep Your Favourites Functionality Lets Consumers Keep a
Specific Number of Tracks, in MP3 Format, for no Extra Charge
Omnifone today announces it has signed an international
strategic partnership with Sony Ericsson, to power a wide range of unlimited
music phones. The service, PlayNow(TM) plus, is due to debut with Telenor in
Sweden later this year.
Martin Blomkvist, Director and Head of Global Content
Acquisition & Partner Management, Sony Ericsson stated, "Omnifone was the
clear partner of choice for PlayNow(TM) plus. As the leading independent
provider of unlimited music services, Omnifone has enabled us to deliver the
most innovative and attractive solution for our operator partners and
end-users."
The PlayNow(TM) plus-enabled mobiles will come bundled with up
to 1,000 pre-loaded tracks at purchase and, at the end of the initial
subscription period, will enable consumers to retain a specific number of
their favourite tracks in a DRM-free MP3 format for use on their next phone,
desktop computer or any other digital music device.
"Omnifone's partnership with Sony Ericsson for PlayNow(TM)
plus will drive global mass market uptake of legal unlimited digital music
downloads on mobile," said Rob Lewis, CEO of Omnifone. "Walkman(TM) is the
world's most iconic portable music brand and Omnifone is partnering with Sony
Ericsson to bring a fully integrated unlimited music downloads service to
millions of Walkman(TM) mobile users, with the potential to increase operator
music revenues whilst providing unlimited music to consumers, with the
ability for consumers to convert their favourite tracks and keep them
DRM-free forever."
PlayNow(TM) plus consumers will also be able to download
unlimited amounts of music to their desktop computer, using PlayNow(TM) plus
Desktop, which synchronises effortlessly with the PlayNow(TM) plus mobile
experience, using broadband and 3G/HSDPA connectivity.
PlayNow(TM) plus over-the-air music downloads will utilise the
state-of-the-art high quality eAAC Plus format, with very fast track
downloads. PlayNow(TM) plus is integrated into Sony Ericsson's TrackID(TM)
music recognition service enabling unlimited direct-to-device music sampling
and downloading for no additional cost. PlayNow(TM) plus is also fully
compatible with the Sony Ericsson PlayNow(TM) a la carte service which allows
consumers to purchase individual music tracks DRM-free, on a track by track
basis.
International pre-licensing and DRM free tracks for
PlayNow(TM) plus
Omnifone and Sony Ericsson have agreed licensing terms with
Universal Music Group, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, EMI Music, Warner Music
Group and leading independents for DRM-free Keep Your Favourites (KYF) for
Sony Ericsson handsets with unlimited access to a vast international content
catalogue, localised for each individual market.
Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music
Group International stated; "We believe the combination of Omnifone's leading
edge unlimited music capability paired with Sony Ericsson's popular range of
music phones will have lasting implications for the delivery of digital music
services globally. Consumers will have the ability to download, play and
share music, on the brand of devices which were ultimately responsible for
starting the mobile music revolution."
"The PlayNow(TM) plus service offers music fans an innovative
and exciting new way to explore SONY BMG's rich catalogue," commented Thomas
Hesse, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, SONY BMG MUSIC
ENTERTAINMENT. "With such a vast collection of songs accessible through their
mobile phones, consumers will have the opportunity to enjoy their favorites
and also discover new music and new artists. We think this service is a great
solution for consumers because it makes the listening and discovery
experience more fun than ever before."
Ian Whitfield, Vice President, Digital Business Development
for EMI Music: "As the digital music market continues to evolve, EMI's role
is to bring artists and their fans closer together by giving consumers
innovative, effective and legal ways to enjoy our artists' music how they
want to and PlayNow(TM) plus is a perfect example of this. With the
experience and reach of Sony Ericsson behind it, PlayNow(TM) plus is a very
exciting new service for music consumers and we're very pleased to give it
our support."
Eric Daugan, Vice President, Digital Business, Warner Music
EMEA, commented, "Sony Ericsson and Omnifone have both separately pioneered
the evolution of mobile music, so we're delighted to now be working with
their combined expertise on this highly innovative service. By bringing
together a simple, compelling user experience with first class music-enabled
devices, PlayNow(TM) plus is a hugely attractive consumer offer and
represents an exciting step forward for mobile entertainment. This
wide-ranging music service will be a powerful platform through which fans
will be empowered to quickly and easily discover, explore and enjoy our
artists' music wherever they are, whenever they want."
Notes to Editors
About Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications was established as a 50:50
joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate
functions located in London. The company serves the worldwide communications
market with innovative and feature-rich mobile phones, accessories and
PC-cards, and it has R? sites in Europe, Japan, China, India and America.
Sony Ericsson is the title sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association, and
works with the Association to promote the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in over 80
cities during the year.
About Omnifone
Omnifone is the global leader in the provision of unlimited
music download services for device vendors and mobile network operators.
Partners include the likes of Vodafone, Telenor, 3 Hong Kong, Vodacom, LG and
Sony Ericsson, who are rolling out Omnifone's multi-award winning unlimited
music download services across the world. In 2007 Omnifone won the Mobile
Entertainment Forum (MEF) Music Service Award, Red Herring EMEA & Global 100
Awards, and in 2008, the Juniper Research Future Mobile Award's Gold Award
for Mobile Music, Best Mobile Internet Service at the Mobile Industry Awards,
and the most prestigious award in mobile music; Best Mobile Music Service
Award at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards, part of Mobile World Congress 2008.
Omnifone CEO Rob Lewis is PwC UK Technology, Innovation & Growth Awards 2008
Entrepreneur of the Year. The company is based at Island Studios, London with
regional HQs in Asia Pacific. For further information please visit;
http://www.omnifone.com.
About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company
with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its
businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's
leading global music publishing operation.
Universal Music Group's record labels include Decca, Deutsche
Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A? Records, Island Def
Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury
Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown
Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and Verve
Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by
its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group
owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the
last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings.
UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music
Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the
U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and
technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty-First
Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live
music agency.
Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and
communications company.
About SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music joint
venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both
local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalogue that
comprises some of the most important recordings in history. SONY BMG is 50%
owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.
About EMI Music
EMI Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited,
one of the world's leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists
spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel,
Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG,
EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin.
About Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company
to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster
of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a
collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including
Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Nonesuch,
Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner
Music International, a leading company in national and international
repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees
in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell
Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more
than one million copyrights worldwide.
Omnifone
Tim Hadley
Director, Corporate Communications
M +44-(0)7976410001
E thadley@omnifone.com
Omnifone: Tim Hadley, Director, Corporate Communications, M +44-(0)7976410001, E thadley@omnifone.com
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