Omnifone has today announced it has signed an international
strategic partnership with Sony Ericsson, to power a wide range of unlimited
music phones. The service, PlayNow 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 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 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
plus will drive global mass market uptake of legal unlimited digital music
downloads on mobile," said Rob Lewis, CEO of Omnifone. "Walkman 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 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 plus consumers will also be able to download
unlimited amounts of music to their desktop computer, using PlayNow plus
Desktop, which synchronises effortlessly with the PlayNow plus mobile
experience, using broadband and 3G/HSDPA connectivity.
PlayNow plus over-the-air music downloads will utilise the
state-of-the-art high quality eAAC Plus format, with very fast track
downloads. PlayNow plus is integrated into Sony Ericsson's TrackID
music recognition service enabling unlimited direct-to-device music sampling
and downloading for no additional cost. PlayNow plus is also fully
compatible with the Sony Ericsson PlayNow a la carte service which allows
consumers to purchase individual music tracks DRM-free, on a track by track
basis.
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 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 plus is a perfect example of this. With the
experience and reach of Sony Ericsson behind it, PlayNow 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 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."