March 3, 2005
Melodeo's mobile phone P2P to launch
The world's first legal mobile phone peer-to-peer (P2P) music sharing service, which lets users download full tracks and swap them with friends, will be launched in Europe this month. The Guardian reports.
"In December, the Spanish operator Telefonica licensed a mobile music solution with Melodeo, a US-based company delivering music software to mobile phones, and the P2P service will soon launch in Spain. Mobile phone operators will offer it to UK users within three months, with the US to follow.
Melodeo has also signed the industry's first global licensing agreement with Warner Music Group for full-length music tracks to be downloaded to mobiles.
The technology is similar to online P2P music services. Once users have the Melodeo Music Solution software on their mobiles, they can search an on-phone catalogue of up to 10,000 songs. If they find one they like, they purchase the full track and download it from their mobile network. The cost of the track is charged to their monthly phone bill or, if they are pre-pay customers, deducted from their credit.
Users can beam the track via Bluetooth to friends, who can hear a 30-second preview and also buy it. Their mobile phone operator sends it to them and manages the payment".
Previous articles on Melodo:
- Legal music file sharing launched for mobiles
- Full Track Downloads to Mobile Phones
- Melodeo
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