Warner Music Group (WMG) announced
a partnership with wireless entertainment and marketing company Mobileway.
This yields a new functionality or set of features to be added the music CD
packages. Short-codes are a five digit wireless branding that will be added
to CD packages, album posters, artist web sites and online banner ads.
These short codes enable customers to
have direct access to ringtones from WMG artists in one simple step from
their mobile phones. Later this year, screensavers and wallpapers will be added
from other WMG labels, including Atlantic, Lava and Warner Music
Latina.
Short-codes provide fans with a fast and
easy way to access music simply by sending a wireless text message to the
short-code found on a CD package, web site or advertisement. Fans
send a text message identifying a specific track number and download the
corresponding ringtone via Mobileway's cross-carrier infrastructure.
Charges for downloads appear on the customer's wireless bill
as opposed to a credit card, helping WMG serve the crucial teen
market. Online banner ads will also inform music fans about the new
service.
The service costs $ 1.99 for each
polyphonic or monophonic ringtone and $ 2.49 per music tone and voice tone
download.
In May, Atlantic and Lava launched the first
music label site selling ringtones from artists including matchbox twenty,
Simple Plan, Twista, Brandy, Jet, Jason Mraz and T.I. The inaugural
on-pack promotion will be the Surfdog Records release of Brian Setzer
Orchestra's new album, "The Ultimate Collection," scheduled for release
July 13. Other artists such as Sean Paul and The Darkness are
expected to release content directly to consumers wirelessly later this
year. |
Innovation is a good thing, kudos Warner. Great
idea, sure to promote talk about their artists and help to move the product.
Maybe we will see this model added to other type mediums such as DVD movies,
giving us some more functionality there as well. You can read the whole
press release here.
Source: Warner Music Group
