The global market for full-track music downloads to mobile devices is rocking, and growing at a healthy pace. In fact, it was 20 times larger in 2005, compared to 2004, a new study by ABI Research says.The study found that global revenues from over-the-air downloaded full-track songs last year were $251 million, up from $12.4 million in 2004. ABI Research forecasts that by 2011 this figure will be $9.3 billion.
What drives a successful music download service? According to ABI Research, music download services essentially require a 3G network capable of delivering the product. The second requisite is a distribution mechanism, or a mobile music store that can deliver the content to the customer, verify that the handset can accept the content, and ensure that users are paying for it.
More important, the service requires an agreement between an operator, one or more record labels, and possibly a content aggregator, and a "robust DRM scheme that also allows users to move tracks easily between devices.Goes without saying that all of the abover would be of little use if handsets did not have sufficient memory and feature-sets to support music downloads and transfers. Again, obviously, this demand pleases handset manufacturers, who are only too happy to build high-margin extras into their new products.
"You also need people willing to buy OTA content," says the technology research firm. "Over-the-air downloads will be relatively less successful in North America because of the high penetration of PCs. Overseas (particularly in Asia), PCs are less prevalent and the mobile phone is more so. There wasn’t even a Japanese iTunes store until the fourth quarter of 2005. That’s part of the reason KDDI sold 30 million mobile tracks last year in Japan alone," it says.
Location-based search While on mobile devices, InfoSpace, Inc., a mobile media provider, has developed and launched a location-enabled search product that allows consumers to easily and quickly find everything from nearby restaurants and movie times to people, maps and driving directions all in one integrated application.
"Location-based mobile local search has been a promise for many years, and InfoSpace Find It! robustly delivers on the possibilities. InfoSpace Find It! is like having a concierge in your pocket," says Stephen Davis, president of InfoSpace Mobile and Online Media. When the service is eventually launched in India, you can keep track of where that pesky colleague is at any given time, until he/she switches off the gadget.