Mobile music

First in Latin America

LOS ANGELES, CA, Feb 04, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Napster (NASDAQ: NAPS) and Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced the launch of the Napster Mobile music service with leading Chilean operator Entel PCS to provide the Napster Mobile music service in Latin America for the first time.

Napster Mobile is based on Ericsson's service delivery platform and will enable Entel PCS's subscribers to search, browse, preview and purchase content on their wireless handsets via i-shop, the Entel PCS Mobile Portal. The service features Napster's catalog of more than four million songs and mastertones, and offers a dual-delivery option for simultaneous downloads to subscribers' mobile phones and PCs. Hence, the service allows direct downloads to mobile phones, a unique feature, bypassing the PC-download stage to provide greater user convenience.

"We are excited to add Latin America to our global footprint, which also includes the North American, Japanese and European markets," said Brad Duea, President of Napster. "Through our partnership with Ericsson, we look forward to offering a superior mobile music experience to Entel PCS customers."

Cannes, France – 27th January – Sony Ericsson today unveiled the next stage in the evolution of PlayNow™ arena, its popular over-the-air (OTA) download service. At the MIDEM conference in Cannes, Sony Ericsson announced deals with 10 major record labels, adding over 5 million new tracks to its extensive catalogue. Sony Ericsson also unveiled the design and URL for PlayNow™ arena and launched PlayNow™ Uncut, (formerly M-Buzz™) a music promotional space for new, unsigned and developing artists.

Record label partnerships

Today Sony Ericsson announced partnerships with 10 of the largest international and regional music labels including: Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI, The Orchard, IODA, The PocketGroup, Hungama, X5 Music, Bonnier Amigo and VidZone, adding over 5 million new tracks to PlayNow™ arena. Sony Ericsson is currently negotiating further deals with a host of regional labels to further broaden the variety of music available and bring a wealth of localised content direct to the consumer.

Italy's Largest Telecommunication Group

LOS ANGELES, CA, Jan 28, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Napster (NASDAQ: NAPS) today announced the launch of the Napster Mobile music service with Telecom Italia through its mobile brand TIM, the leading mobile carrier serving the Italian market with over 35 million subscribers.

Co-developed by Ericsson and Napster for the Italian market, Napster Mobile is a premium music service offering an array of features and personalized content, including ringtones, artist images, wallpaper and access to Napster Mobile's catalog of more than 5 million songs. Napster Mobile also offers dual-delivery for simultaneous downloads to a subscriber's PC and mobile phone, a unique feature that provides users the convenience of downloading songs directly to their phones with a high-fidelity copy of the song available to download on their PCs.

Under the agreement, Ericsson's responsibilities include systems integration, operation, maintenance and content management of Napster Mobile for TIM. The service is available now.