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Music biz going mobile with innovative ideas
by Antony Bruno
March 16, 2007
For the next few weeks, wireless will be the subject of much discussion as the music and mobile industries gear up for a pair of back-to-back conferences focused on mobile entertainment.
And while there will be many announcements unveiling new music phones or services from the major handset manufacturers and wireless operators, Billboard has learned of several more unique mobile music initiatives under way that show how record labels are beginning to think considerably farther outside the box when it comes to such opportunities.
For instance, at the CTIA Wireless conference in Orlando, Fla., the week of March 26, Warner Music Group will be named the first label partner involved in an artist-based mobile trading card application from Hook Mobile, the first of which will involve rapper Yung Joc.
The application is a new twist on the traditional mobile wallpaper application (usage of which has been steadily declining during the past year, a dip that's been largely attributed to the increasing popularity of camera phones). The trading-card app works like this: Each artist in the program will develop about 10 digital trading cards that will be distributed in random packs of three to fans paying $3 per week for the service.
Some of the "cards" will be rarer than others, making it difficult to collect all 10. Fans participating in the service will be able to trade cards with one another to fill holes in their collections, until they've compiled them all.
Those with the complete set can then redeem them for various prizes, such as ringtones, signed T-shirts, concert tickets or even backstage passes. The cards can also be assigned as a phone wallpaper graphic.
That smaller developers like Hook and Sonic Branding are now on the radar of major record labels speaks to how the music industry is searching for new ways to address the mobile market outside of the standard ringtone or full-song download. Both companies' applications collect subscription and a la carte revenue -- all of which is shared with the labels as part of the licensing agreement.
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