Simfy music streaming coming for SA: all the details

German start-up Simfy (pronounced sim-FIE, not sim-fee) and South African wireless access service provider (WASP), Exactmobile, are planning to launch a music streaming service called Simfy Africa.

“Pre-registrations” for the service are open and the website for the new service says that the big launch is 13 days away.

Users that “pre-register” will receive a notification as soon as the service is live to the general public, Simfy said, with a few 6 month free accounts up for grabs.

According to Simfy it is supported by all the major labels (Sony, Universal, EMI, and Warner), as well as Finetunes, Merlin, and The Orchard.

Supported devices

Simfy has an Adobe Air desktop application subscribers can use to listen to music on their PCs, as well as mobile apps for iOS (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad), Android, and BlackBerry.

Android devices running version 1.6 or later of Google’s mobile operating system (OS) are supported, and BlackBerry users need to be running OS version 4.7 or later.

BlackBerry devices also need at least 3G support, though simfy said there is a known issue on the BlackBerry Torch that causes problems when trying to use “offline mode”.

Simfy’s “Offline mode” lets users listen to any of the over 18 million songs Simfy boasts, even when unable to stream directly from the Internet.

Pricing

In the knowledge-base area of the Simfy Africa website, Simfy lists a few different packages with mobile phone or credit card payment options:

• R60/month: monthly package with either once-off or automatic renewal options. Mobile or credit card payment.
• 3 months, 6 months or yearly packages: once-off payment by credit card. No prices listed.

The website states that there will be a 14 day trial to take Simfy for a spin before committing money to the service.

Data usage and music quality

The subscription excludes the data costs subscribers will incur by streaming the music. Simfy warns, on a page it links subscribers to when they sign up, that streaming music on your phone will use about 85MB per hour.

Asked what format and quality settings they use, an Exactmobile spokesperson told MyBroadband that they stream MP3s at 192 kbps.

Music will be available on the same day the album is released, Exactmobile said.

Device limits and future features

Simfy said that subscribers can use the streaming service from as many devices as they want.

However, offline functionality may only be used on 3 devices, and these devices can be reset a maximum of two times every 12 months. Offline devices are added in the order in which they are activated.

Unlike services such as Google Music, Simfy doesn’t let users upload their own music just yet. “This feature is in development for the simfy Player,” Simfy said, though the company added that it will take a while as it “[wants] to make sure your music will be stored safely.”

Update: Previously the article listed a R20/week option and stated that the knowledge base area of the Simfy Africa website was only available to subscribers. Exactmobile has since said that the weekly package has been suspended, and that the “Info hub” is available to all, not just subscribers.

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