Download your fave music from your PC to your phone - free

ROK Entertainment Group, the UK-based mobile technologies and applications development company, today announced the launch of ROK Media Store, after a four month trial and testing process. ]via GoMoNews]

"ROK Media Store is a web-based application, available free of charge, which enables users to upload their music collection to their PC and then sideload it to the memory card on their mobiles.

Music and video content is also available to buy online, delivered to the purchaser by ROK's proprietary content-compression and copy-protection technologies."

Talent-spotting by mobile phone

Orange and Sony Ericsson are using the country's legion of mobile phone users to find the next hot music act. The Guardian reports.

"Backed by a Channel 4 series in the autumn, the two companies have launched MobileAct Unsigned, which will allow mobile phone users to download tracks from competing bands and vote for the one they want to progress through the competition.

Already nearly 700 unsigned bands have entered through the MobileAct website and in the run-up to the series, on T4, these will be whittled down, by popular vote, to 25. They will record their own video auditions for the show. A further 25 will be picked by a music industry panel."

Nokia's gig guide

Nokia has launched a mobile festival guide for the Reading and Leeds music events, reports Mobile Entertainment.

It’s ensuring festival-goers don’t miss the action thanks to its app, which works across most handsets, and is free. It features general festival information including stage schedules, maps of both sites and a Rock Up & Play section providing full details of what festival-goers can enjoy at Nokia’s Rock Up & Play tent.

They can also personalise it, adding the bands they want to see to their own personal schedule.

US targets Chinese music download rules

The United States is seeking consultations with China over rules on music downloading and cinema rights that appear to discriminate against foreign sound recordings and films, a U.S. trade official said Wednesday. The Associated Press reports.

"... Music from foreign sources needs to undergo content review before being distributed in China. Chinese music doesn't have to face that process," Norton told The Associated Press. "The review delays Chinese Internet providers and Chinese consumers from accessing foreign music."

The same discrimination exists when Chinese consumers seek to download music onto mobile phones, he said. The problem for American music providers is compounded by rules that prevent foreign companies from owning or investing in businesses that distribute music over the Internet in China."

Music file-sharers get boost in top EU court

Telecoms companies in Europe are not required to hand over information on clients believed to be running music-sharing Web sites in civil cases, an adviser to the European Union's top court said on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

"The case was brought by a Spanish music and audiovisual association after telecoms provider Telefonica refused to hand over the names and addresses of its Internet clients suspected of running illegal file sharing sites.

The association, Promusicae, wanted to identify the clients, who used the file-sharing program KaZaA, so it could start taking action against them.

But advocate general Juliane Kokott, whose role is to advise the judges, said on Wednesday that it is compatible with EU law for European countries to exclude communication of personal data in the context of a civil, as distinct from criminal, action."

Steve Jobs tops list of online music "Powergeeks"

Steve Jobs, the father of the iPod, was crowned on Tuesday as the undisputed king of the online music revolution by U.S. music magazine Blender, topping a list of the 25 most influential people in Web music.

The magazine's "Powergeek 25" list was compiled to show the behind-scenes-players reshaping the way people listen to, buy and watch music.

"The iTunes Store and the iPod have done more to change the way people listen to music than anything since the CD, and maybe since the sound recording," Blender's editor-in-chief Craig Marks said.

[via Reuters]

ROK Streams Live Music Concert to GPRS Handsets

ROK Entertainment, the UK-based mobile TV vendor, says that it has successfully completed the world's first music concert to be streamed live over mass-market 2.5G via GPRS to mobile phones.

The Be My Guest concert was staged on Saturday 14th July at the Bangkok Hall in Thailand and was streamed across a 4 hour period, live and exclusive, to mobile operator AIS's ROK TV service.

[via Cellular News]

Purse Blocker gives parents control of downloading of ringtones

Obviously not everyone is happy about the possiblity of purchasing ringtones. Like parents. AT&T's "purse blocker" enables parents to turn the blocker on or off to control when a child can download ringloads or other content. [via Satesman]

Swiss Music Subscription Service

A mobile music service has been launched in Switzerland by Oxy Systems (developer of music social networking service phling) and Edipresse. MocoNews reports.

"The service will allow "customers of Orange Switzerland, Sunrise and Swisscom Mobile to use their mobile phones to browse, listen and share music as well as discover new music from Edipresse's Internet-based radio stations, independent artists and labels, and from other users in the phling! community".

It involves accessing music on your PC on your mobile, and sharing that with your friend. The service will cost 7 Swiss Francs (US$5.82) a month, which includes all data charges."

Control iTunes from your iPhone

If you're looking for an incredibly simple way to control iTunes at home from your iPhone, look no further than Signal. Once you're running iTunes and Signal, all you have to do is connect to your Wi-Fi network nd then point your iPhone to the web address that Signal provides you.

Instantly you've got yourself a fully functional iTunes remote, complete with playlist access, album art and even customizable queues.

[reBlogged from Gizmodo]

Napster Launches Music Service Over NTT DoCoMo

Napster announced that the company's unlimited over-the-air music subscription service has been launched with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest wireless carrier, and is now available across the complete line of DoCoMo's 904i handsets.

It marks the first-ever deployment of the Napster Mobile service that seamlessly integrates OTA subscription and the PC-based Napster to Go subscription service for one price.

[via TMCnet]

Simpson Ringtones. Doh.

Jamba will be offering fans of The Simpsons ringtones, voicetones, wallpapers and screensavers, based on the series just in time for the July 27 release of "The Simpsons Movie ".

Watch the The trailer on YouTube.

[via Reuters] Entertainment Summary

iPhone stimulates ringtone innovation

[via e-mail press release]

News that music files on computers can be used as ringtones on the new Apple iPhone has forced ringtone companies to innovate urgently or risk being left behind.

The rumoured iPhone ringtone approach – dubbed ‘sideloading’ – is expected to hit ringtone revenues hard.

In reaction, innovative ringtone services like Singtones, from UK company Synchro Arts, are marketed to help ensure the iPhone’s arrival doesn’t signal the end of a lucrative industry.

Singtones let people record their favourite tracks, and their singing is then ‘fixed’ so even the tone-deaf sound great. Their enhanced vocal is mixed with a backing track and can be sent to mobile phones to use as a unique personalised ringtone and caller ID.

[via e-mail press release]

Warner Music To Stream All Its Music Online For Free

Warner Music Group and online community Imeem have partnered to stream ad-supported music and video on Imeem's free social media networking site, according to TechWeb.

"The companies said their agreement results in the first free, ad-supported online access to all the music and video content from a major label.

... It's the latest in a series of moves by record companies to adapt their sales and distribution to industry changes driven by consumers turning ever more frequently to the Internet for entertainment."

Apple iPods and iPhones to Start Sharing, Selling Music

According to Gizmodo, "an Apple patent details a system where Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as cellphones and MP3 players can find each other automatically, perform device-to-device transfers, share contact info, and accessiTunes to buy new and shared music."

Samsung capitalizes on Olympic

According to Ubergizmo, Samsung is branding one of their handsets (the P310) for the Olympics and it will contain Olympic Games ringtones, wallpapers and video clips.

Customize ringtones on the iPhone

The #iphone-dev IRC channel gang, with reported access to the iPhone's filesystem, have created custom ringtones. Watch the video demo of Jack Bauer's CTU ringtone on TUAW.

British CD sales drop 10% in 2007

Music fans the UK are continuing to abandon the buying of CDs, with sales down by 10% in the first half of 2007. The BBC reports.

"Figures compiled by the British Phonographic Industry show that 6.5m fewer albums have been sold this year compared with the same period in 2006.

... The digital market continues to grow - with a 50% increase in digital single purchases in the first six months of the year, according to the BPI's figures.

But downloads still only account for 10-20% of the overall music market, and that figure includes formats such as ringtones".

Loudest mobile ringtone ever - for emergency workers

The QKphone 911, manufactured in China, is capable of playing music and ringtones at an ear-splitting 120 decibels, reports pocket-lint.

"A of sound, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, is recognised as the threshold of pain.

It manages this incredible noise thanks to five speakers and "dynamic 3D sound".

It's not just to irritate, it actually serves a purpose, it's meant for emergency-type workers who cannot miss a call.

Watch the video demo"

Samsung Launches Mobile Music Site In Europe

Samsung is partnering with Musicnetto provide its own mobile music subscription service in Europe, reports Digital Trends.

The service will operate using Samsung's own Samsung Media Studio (SMS) application, and will ship on Samsung's K3, K5, and T9 music handsets, while a software update will deliver the new version of SMS to previously-released PlaysForSure-compatible Samsung phones like the Z5.

[via MocoNews]

Ringtones From 2007 Essence Music Festival

To celebrate the 13th annual Essence Music Festival, held July 5-7 in New Orleanss, Verizon Wireless will feature Ringtones from music all-stars scheduled to appear on the mainstage at the festival, including, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Ciara, Ludacris, Ne- Yo, The O’Jays with Keith Sweat, Lionel Richie and Kelly...

Verizon Wireless customers can purchase Ringtones by visiting the Get Tunes & Tones shopping aisle in their Get It Now-capable phones.

[via mobility site]

Little harmony in mobile music

The arrival of Apple's iPhone poses a dilemma for mobile phone operators. The FT reports.

The device is expected to push more people to access music on their handsets, and operators may gain kudos by having the much-hyped device in their portfolio.

But mobile operators have invested heavily in their own music services, and may be reluctant to promote Apple's rival iTunes service.

Some operators, like Vodafone, feel strongly they want to retain a key role in selling music to handsets.

“We would absolutely hope to give iTunes a run for its money,” said Paul Kenny, content and product executive for Vodafone Music. “We think it is important to keep the Vodafone label on our music services. We think it is something we can compete on.”

Such sentiments could make signing a deal with Apple difficult.

... Mobile phone operators have so far struggled to get their music download services to take off, despite a head start of several years. High prices, confusing payment structures and a lack of music-enabled handsets have all been blamed for slow take-up.

And thanks to this patchy track record, many in the music industry are welcoming new entrants.

“New devices like the iPhone and new innovative services like MusicStation will help us drive the digital music business forward at a faster rate,” said Rob Wells, senior vice-president at Universal’s international digital music business."

China Unicom tests music service

China Unicom Ltd., the country's No. 2 mobile phone carrier, said Tuesday it has started testing a music download service offering subscribers songs from 23 record companies, including EMI Group PLC, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp. and Universal Music Group.

The trial service, called Xuan Qu in Chinese, allows subscribers to download songs to mobile phones for 39 cents to 66 cents each, said Tong Xiaoyu, China Unicom's general manager for value-added services.

The service protects copyrights by preventing users from transferring the music to other mobile phones or computers, he said. [via Associated Press]

Fat Joe's 'Make It Rain' Sells A Million Ringtones

Fat Joe's hit single "Make It Rain" has sold over 1 million ringtones and has been certified platinum by the RIAA's Platinum Ringtune certification program.

"... In addition to being the first million-selling ringtone for Imperial, "Make It Rain" peaked #6 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart was Imperial's first Top 10 hit in over 40 years."

[via Hip Hop News]