Sony Ericsson adds unlimited music download service to its PlayNow™ brand and expands PlayNow™ arena to new countries
24 September 2008PlayNow™ arena opens its doors in 5 new countries in the fourth quarter of 2008
Lund, Sweden—September 24th 2008—Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of PlayNow™ plus, a super-fast, high-quality music download service for Sony Ericsson customers, available for use on both phones and
PCs. The service is due to launch commercially with
operator Telenor in Sweden in the fourth quarter of this year, with further roll-outs around the world beginning in early 2009. A special edition of the Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman™ phone will be the first product released with an integrated PlayNow™ plus service.
PlayNow™ plus is due to set a new standard for the unlimited mobile music experience, with unrivalled download speeds, high-quality audio and access to the largest music catalogue of any unlimited download service. The service draws from Sony Ericsson’s collaboration with Omnifone and licensing terms have been agreed with all major international music labels—including EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music – as well as thousands of local music labels.
PlayNow™ plus will guarantee truly unlimited, ‘all-you-can-eat’ access to millions of music tracks. While in the service, subscribers will be able to recommend their music tastes to others in the PlayNow™ plus community, and at the end of their contract they will keep a number of tracks—DRM-free—from their most played favourites.
PlayNow™ plus is designed as the world’s easiest unlimited music service to manage as whatever you do on either your phone or your PC may be reflected on the other device. To add to the discovery and community aspects of PlayNow™ plus, TrackID™ charts, generated by Sony Ericsson consumers around the world, are also included. To kick-start the PlayNow™ plus experience right out of the box, Sony Ericsson plans to include, as part of the service, up to 1000 of recent popular tracks, both locally and globally, with each PlayNow™ plus phone.
PlayNow™arena expands
PlayNow™ arena, Sony Ericsson’s multimedia service which launched successfully in the Nordic countries on August 25th, will now also be opening its doors in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland in the fourth quarter this year. On board for the expansion and adding to the music offer in the existing PlayNow™ arena markets is Universal Music Group with its massive catalogue that includes many of the world’s best selling artists. This important addition also means that PlayNow™ arena will be one of the first legal music services in these markets to offer DRM-free music from all of the major and independent labels.
"The launch of PlayNow arena is a milestone in a la carte music services to mobile phones”, said Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, at Universal Music Group International. The combination of TrackID and the variety of digital products on offer through PlayNow arena is a highly compelling proposition on its own, but when the full track downloads are available DRM-free, the offer is even more compelling for consumers."
Rikko Sakaguchi, Senior Vice President and Head of Creation & Development at Sony Ericsson comments on the market expansion and catalogue addition:
"Expanding our PlayNow service portfolio by adding PlayNow plus and by launching PlayNow arena in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and the UK during the fourth quarter, are key elements of the Sony Ericsson service strategy. These steps and the addition of Universal's catalogue to the music offering in both services gives us every possibility to provide customers and consumers with what we feel is important and requested - an unparalleled user experience on Sony Ericsson devices."
Two propositions
PlayNow™ plus is the ideal service for the casual listener offering unlimited access to every kind of music and the freedom of discovery.
PlayNow™ arena provides the full range of mobile entertainment: an unparalleled mobile games offering; unique themes and wall papers; traditional and specially developed ring tones and music tones; a wealth of free content and of course; DRM-free music tracks and TrackID charts from around the world. PlayNow™ arena is the one-stop-shop for the collector and is open for everyone.
Partner quotes
Rob Lewis, CEO, Omnifone, commented; "Whilst Sony Ericsson handsets are already famous for their legendary audio playback quality, it is the addition of unlimited music, anytime, anyplace, that turns them into the next generation mobile music experience. We are delighted to have been chosen by Sony Ericsson, and to be working closely with them, to herald a new era in mass-market digital music”.
”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.”
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, Play Now 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."
Ian Whitfield, VP 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."
Legal
© Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, 2008.
The liquid identity, TrackID and PlayNow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Sony is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation.
Ericsson is the trademark or registered trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson.
TrackID is powered by Gracenote Mobile MusicID. Gracenote and Gracenote Mobile MusicID are trademarks of Gracenote, Inc.
Bluetooth is a trademark or registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG Inc.
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Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Subject to change without prior notice.
Sony Ericsson is a top global industry player with sales of over 100 million phones in 2007. Diversity is one of the core strengths of the company, with operations in over 80 countries including manufacturing in China and R&D sites in China, Europe, India, Japan and North America. Sony Ericsson was established as a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London.
About Omnifone
Omnifone is the global leader in the provision of unlimited music download services for device vendors, mobile network operators and broadband providers. 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; 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&M 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 catalogue of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalogue 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 catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. Sony BMG Music Entertainment is 50% owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.
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.
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.
