Will the music industry go mobile?

After newspapers, it seems it’s the turn of the music industry to go mobile. I mean, let’s face it. The music industry is not what it used to be and CD sales have dropped considerably. The industry has stagnated to say the least and going mobile to reinvent itself seems to be the only option left. Thankfully, some artists have already realized that and have taken the next step.

A few months back, we saw Madonna sign a deal with Vodafone wherein Vodafone users were able to listen to the album Hard Candy before it was even released in the market. Similarly, earlier this month, British pop sensation Natasha Bedingfield signed a deal with Verizon and will headline a Verizon VIP tour. Verizon users will have exclusive access to Natasha’s albums and users who download ringtones and other such content will get free tickets to her concert and other such promotional items. Usher Raymond has signed a similar deal with Sony Ericsson which will be the primary sponsor for Usher’s musical tour which is scheduled later this year. Though AT&T is yet to sign such deals with musicians, it has already signed deals with music websites such as Napster and eMusic.

The future, everyone says, is mobile. The dipping sales of compact discs and the alarming growth rate of pirated discs have made musicians take some serious decisions regarding the future and some musicians have already set the precedent. Now, it remains to be seen how quickly others can adapt to this new age medium. What do you say?

Categories: All things mobile phones.

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Sony BMG and 3 sign deal to provide free music videos on mobile phones

Mobile network 3’s customers will be able to watch free music videos right on their mobile phone from today. 3 has signed a deal with Sony BMG which will allow 3’s customers to enjoy free ad-funded music videos on their mobile phones. There will be a 20-second advert before and after the video, to keep it free of cost. These ads will be highly targeted and relevant, based on your age, sex, and other factors.

People behind 3 believe that this deal will be an instant hit with their customers. And they have a reason to think so. The network has a customer base of 4 million in the UK alone and around 1.5 million of them regularly use its video services. So, by bringing free, ad-funded videos to its customers’ mobile phones, 3 plans to attract more and more customers toward its video services.

3’s music portal has some big names like Alicia Keys, Mark Ronson, and Tings Tings. Also, some of the biggest players in the market like BMW, Pepsi, Microsoft, and Intel have signed advertising contract with 3. So, with a wide range of music videos and an equally wide range of advertising sponsors, 3 can only look forward to a positive response from its customers, which I think will happen soon.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

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Get hollywood gossips in your mobile phone

Just think of the number of things we can access right from our mobile phone – Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and the likes, weather updates, sports news, maps, breaking news, and YouTube videos. Now, you can add one more thing to that list. Hollywood gossip.

The famous Hollywood gossip site TMZ has gone mobile. An ad-supported mobile site, to be precise. The site is built by Quattro Wireless and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the first sponsor while AT&T is the first wireless carrier partner.

Britney collapses again, Lindsay back to the rehab, or another pathetic performance by Paris Hilton in a movie – you can get it all right in your mobile. The site is packed with pictures, news, and videos.

Considering the fact that TMZ focuses on its core 18-34 demo, this mobile version could find a lot of takers.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Web.

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