Vodacom unlimited music downloads launches tomorrow

Rudolph Muller

Rudolph Muller is the editor at MyBroadband and covers telecoms and broadband news. Rudolph comes from an academic background, but left the University of...

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Vodacom announced that it will launch its MusicStation service – promising unlimited access to music – on 1 November.

Prepaid and contract Vodacom subscribers with Sony Ericsson K800i and W880i, as well as Nokia 73 Vodafone live! cellphones will be able to access MusicStation via Vodafone live! service from 1 November 2007.

Vodacom says that the range of cellular phones will be expanded over the next few weeks while Omnifone, Vodacom’s partner in this Venture, promises that the service will be available on 10 Vodacom handsets from December, with pre-installed devices from major manufacturers to follow.

This unlimited music download service gives subscribers access to over a million tracks from Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group and independent labels.

Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music Group International, said, “South Africa has the opportunity to leapfrog many European countries in digital music distribution by unleashing what is the most compelling music experience on mobile today to people who have had no way to purchase digital music apart from on CD.”

“Millions of people across South Africa will have the opportunity to access all the music they could ever want, not from a computer, which they may not have access to, but from their cellphone that is already in their pocket every day.”

The music is however DRM protected, prohibiting consumers from playing the downloaded music on devices other than their mobile phone. A ‘deluxe version’ is however planned which will allow consumers to play music using MusicStation on their PC.

Robin Bloor, international IT analyst with Bloor Research said, “The digital music market in South Africa is largely undeveloped; with no iTunes store in South Africa, iPod users have no legal method of accessing digital music other than by sideloading copied music.”

“By international standards broadband penetration and computer ownership rates are very low across the region. The only digital device virtually all South African’s use every day is a mobile phone. Introducing MusicStation will create a completely new channel for legal music distribution, discovery and consumption across the region.”

Omifone said that partnering with Vodacom means they can bring affordable digital music to millions of South Africans for the first time in history.

“With no iTunes store, low levels of computer ownership and limited broadband penetration, accessing legal digital music has been almost impossible in South Africa. MusicStation enables consumers in South Africa who subscribe to have the freedom to download and play whatever music they want, wherever they are, direct to their cellphone and all for a fixed fee,” Omnifone said.

Since the service is available through the Vodafone Live! platform there will be no additional charges for data which is used for downloading music or browsing the music portal.

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