Samsung To Bundle Shazam Music Discovery App On Music Handsets

Shazam Entertainment has signed a distribution deal with Samsung Electronics that will see the mobile music discovery application embedded into the handset makers' Beatb and the Beats music phones.

T-Mobile UK will be the first operator to offer the phones with Shazam's application integrated directly into its music service, Mobile Jukebox.

[via Moco News]

KTF Launches Money-Saving Ring-Back Tone Service

A ring-back tone service that helps customers save money, while providing companies with a new advertisement channel is now available. KTF announced the launch of Save Ring service that gives customers discounts if they select advertisements as their mobile ring-back tones.

[via Telecoms Korea]

ITunes Eases Access for Blind

The Massachusetts attorney general's office and the National Federation of the Blind reached an agreement with Apple Inc. under which the consumer-electronics icon will make its iTunes service accessible to the blind. The WSJ reports.

"Using technology called screen access software, blind consumers will be able to turn on-screen information into braille or speech so that they can search the Internet using keyboard commands.

Apple will also make a $250,000 contribution to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind to purchase the assistive software.

Under the agreement, Apple will make iTunes U, a provider of educational content, fully accessible by Dec. 31, followed by the rest of iTunes and iTunes Store by June 30. ITunes allows customers to purchase and download music, among other things."

Universal Music Group plans 'Hulu-like' site

Universal Music Group, the largest of the major recording companies, plans to launch a "Hulu-like" video portal, a source close to the company told CNET news.

"The new venture would offer professionally produced music videos as well as other original programming that features the label's artists. The Killers, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, and Amy Winehouse are just a few of the company's acts. A Universal spokesman declined to comment. "

MySpace Music: Launching a Free-Music Revolution

Social-networking giant MySpace is unveiling its new music service today. TIME magazine reports.

MySpace Music is free, and users get instant access to a vast library of songs. The site has inked deals to upload the catalogs of the four major labels, EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Throw in songs from the 5 million artists who already have pages on the site, and MySpace has a pretty good starter set.

... Sony Ericsson and its rival, Nokia, are launching services overseas this year (and later in the U.S.) that would give cellphone users access to the same vast music library, for free. The tunes would be linked to the cellular handsets, but even if you dropped your mobile carrier, you could keep the songs you downloaded."

Sony Ericsson to roll out music service in weeks

Sony Ericsson will launch a mobile phone service with unlimited music downloads within weeks, the company said on Tuesday, as it competes with Nokia in expanding business beyond the sale of handsets.

[via Reuters]

Music Groups Reach Deal

Five trade organizations that represent record labels, music publishers, songwriters and online music companies said Tuesday they had reached an agreement on how to calculate certain royalties that had been a source of contention between the music industry and online services.

The trade organizations involved in the agreement are the Recording Industry Association of America, the National Music Publishers Association, the Songwriters Guild of America, the Nashville Songwriters Association International and the Digital Media Association.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

Large Hadron Collider Rap Ringtone A Big Hit

CERN's Large Hadron Collider rap video which has been a huge hit on YouTube has been made into a ringtone.

FunMo have now released the official Hadron Particle Rap Ringtone.

"A great way for physics fans to mark the unveiling of the LHC discovery machine that is attempting to usher in a new era of understanding about the Big Bang theory and the origins and evolution of the universe."

[via American Chronicle]

The Musical Road

File under wonderful. Lancaster, California has a musical road that has been pock marked with special grooves that sing out a tune.

Made by Honda as part of an upcoming advertising campaign, the road plays "The William Tell Overture" and for best results the company advices you to drive over with a Honda Civic because the company says that the road was tuned specifically to the tires and wheelbase of a Civic.

[via Newlaunches]

SanDisk, Record Companies Plan New Music Format

In the latest attempt to shore up sales of music on physical media, SanDisk Corp. and the four major music companies plan to announce Monday a new format called slotMusic. The WSJ reports.

"SlotMusic is be introduced in mid-October at retail outlets including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Best Buy Co.

Each unit is to contain an album, plus extras, on a compact memory card that can be played on mobile phones, PCs and some portable MP3 players.

The cards are inserted into vacant slots on phones and other devices. (The slots are increasingly common on newer phones, but the placement of the slot depends on the phone model.) SanDisk is a maker of flash data storage card products."

Press release

KTF to Release 'Seo Tai-ji Phone'

A phone named after Korean top musician Seo Tae-ji is coming out. KTF announced its plans to launch a music phone and a video phone made in collaboration with Seo next month, reports Digital Chosunilbo.

"There have been phones named after celebrities, but this is the first time a star actually participated in the making of contents such as video clips, alarm tone, fonts, and ringtones. Seo composed the ringtones and the sound that comes out when turning the phone on and off and made an alarm tone featuring his voice. Images of Seo are also on display.

The phone features unreleased clips of a music video of Seo’s new single “Bermuda Triangle.” Despite being sold as limited edition, the company expects sales of at least 30,000 units. "

Supreme Court Upholds Canadian Ringtone Royalty Payments

Canada's Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal against a court case which requires ringtone sellers to make back-payments for ringtones sold between 2003-05.

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) and two mobile operators had tried to appeal on a technical issue - but the Supreme Court decided not to hear the appeal. As is usual in these situations, the court does not explain its reasoning.

[via Cellular News]

Major labels to offer free music streaming

Just a few years ago, a Web site giving away virtually every notable song ever recorded would have had music business executives speed-dialing their lawyers. But in the next two weeks, a battered music industry, facing slumping CD sales and a bleak future, will help to introduce just such a service. The IHT reports.

"The new site, MySpace Music, is the product of a joint venture of MySpace and the three biggest music companies: Warner Music Group, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group. The venture plans to make money from selling advertising on the site and from selling digital downloads of music through a partnership with Amazon.com

... Music companies hope the service, which weaves music through the increasingly popular world of online social networking, will weaken Apple's dominant grip on the digital music business while helping to recoup revenue lost in the past few years as CD sales have suffered annual declines of 10 percent to 20 percent."

Tina Fey/Sarah Palin voice tone anyone?

Who's going to turn (any) part of this wonderful comedy sketch into a voice tone?

MyMusicSite.com helps artists sell ringtones

MyMusicSite.com is a free site helping independent artists sell and promote their music and giving them a vehicle to sell downloads and ringtones.

Set up in a social-networking-like environment, the company also provides a platform that enables these artists to market, promote and obtain worldwide visibility for their music with just the click of a mouse.

Press release

Back online Sunday

Thursday is a Geneva holiday. Off for a few days. Back on Sunday.

Sony Ericsson Planning to Offer Unlimited Music Service

Following on the heels of its main rival Nokia, Sony Ericsson's allegedly also planning an unlimited music downloading service for its Walkman-branded cellphones.

According to The Financial Times, Sony Ericsson is in discussions with all major labels about a rival tunes subscription service.

[via Gizmodo]

User gen ringtones go to iPhone

Sonic Boom is bring its ToneMaker UGC ringtone application to iPhone. [via MobileEntertainment]

"The firm’s app allows users to choose from a wide selection of tracks in various genres and mix their own voices on top of the tracks.

ToneMaker has been previously available exclusively on Verizon Wireless. This new move should expand the number of carriers that will enable personalised ringtones, starting (obviously) with AT&T."

India's condom ring tone a huge global hit

The 'condom a cappella' ringtone, launched last month to promote safe sex in India, has already received 257,744 SMS requests for download and over two million hits on the website, according to Sify.

"The ring tone can be downloaded by SMSing "CONDOM" to 56887 (download charges apply) or free from anywhere worldwide on the website www.condomcondom.org. The ring tone has been composed by Rupert Fernandes and sung by Vijay Prakash.

"As it became international news, there has been demand for it from all corners of the globe," said an excited Yvonne MacPherson, Country Director of the BBC World Service Trust, the international charity of the BBC., who got calls from radio stations from across the US and Britain. "

Listen here

Previously: Condom a cappella ringtone promotes safe sex

Music tastes link to personality

Musical tastes and personality type are closely related, according to a study of more than 36,000 people from around the world. The BBC reports.

"The research, which was carried out by Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University, is said to be the largest such study ever undertaken.

It suggested classical music fans were shy, while heavy metal aficionados were gentle and at ease with themselves.

Professor North described the research as "significant" and "surprising".

... "There are obvious implications for the music industry who are are worried about declining CD sales.

One of the most surprising things is the similarities between fans of classical music and heavy metal. They're both creative and at ease but not outgoing.

"The general public has held a stereotype of heavy metal fans being suicidally depressed and of being a danger to themselves and society in general. But they are quite delicate things."

South African Ringtone Seller Sued Over Royalty Payments

South African mobile content reseller, Exactmobile has denied claims that it is not paying royalties on the ringtones it sells.

The National Organisation for Reproduction Rights in Music in Southern Africa (NORM) filed the allegations, although Exactmobile says that it has a legal agreement in place with the royalties body.

[via Cellular News]

New Snow Patrol Album to Feature Downloadable iPhone App

The new Snow Patrol album, due out next month, is the first to offer a downloadable application for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. The digital booklet, which will be available online, will let fans access behind-the-scenes footage from video shoots. Album artwork, lyrics and other features will also be included.

[via Switched]

Nokia's Comes with Music service launches next month -- UK first

"Nokia's "free," all-you-can-eat, music subscription service is set to world premier in the UK next month before hitting continental Europe and Asia in 2009. engadget:mobile reports.

"Nokia already has Universal Music, Sony BMG and Warner Music on board and plans to have EMI signed before launch -- in total, Nokia expects to offer some 2.1 million tracks at launch.

While touted as free, the service costs will be baked into the price of Nokia's pre-pay 5310 XpressMusic Comes With Music Edition handset."

Ministry goes mobile

Ministry of Sound has launched three branded handset bundles, featuring pre-loaded Ministry of Sound/Hed Kandi music tracks, videos, wallpapers and ringtones.

The Samsung E250, Sony Ericsson V640i and Nokia 5310 will each feature a unique Ministry of Sound or Hed Kandi bundle, which will be available from launch partners Grattan, Vodafone and DataSelect.

[via MusicWeek]