New Mobile Service Connects Wireless Customers to 5 Million Songs; AT&T Mobile Music Catalog Largest of Nationwide Wireless Carriers
Multiplatinum Superstars Matchbox Twenty the First to Premiere Exclusive Content via Napster Mobile
Make that song running through your head run instantly through your wireless phone. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) today announced that wireless customers will soon be able to download more than 5 million full-track songs over the air from Napster, the industry’s leading digital music subscription service.
Beginning in mid-November, the Napster Mobile™ service will enable AT&T wireless customers to easily search a music catalog with more than 5 million songs, preview samples of each song and conveniently purchase and download their favorite music from their wireless handsets in less than a minute. Customers will have the ability to download five tracks a month with the Napster Mobile Five-Track Pack option for a discounted price of $7.49 or purchase songs a la carte for just $1.99. As a special offer, customers who select the Napster Mobile Five-Track Pack from their phone will receive the first five songs free.
Ideal for on-the-go music enthusiasts, Napster Mobile will also feature joint delivery, sending a track to the user’s wireless handset while making a duplicate copy available for download to the user’s PC at no additional charge. An e-mail notice will be sent to the user’s PC and will provide a link to download the new song.
“AT&T is the nationwide leader in mobile music and offers the largest catalog of songs, the most digital music choices and the best user experience in the industry,” said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Data for AT&T’s wireless unit. “We are pleased to expand our relationship with Napster, an innovator in the digital music revolution, to connect our customers to more of the music they want in the moment that they want it. This relationship reinforces AT&T’s leadership in providing the industry’s largest mobile music platform.”
“We are pleased to be partnering with AT&T to provide its more than 63 million wireless customers with the best digital music offering available,” said Brad Duea, president of Napster. “Together, Napster and AT&T will deliver 5 million songs to customers’ handsets, along with the best discovery tools and download capabilities to the palms of customers’ hands. We are equally excited to further extend our partnership with Ericsson for Napster Mobile which is based on Ericsson’s Service Delivery Platform, SDP Media, tailored for media delivery.”
Recording artists are realizing the potential of mobile distribution as an important way to reach their fans in a rapidly changing environment.
AT&T will kick off its new Napster Mobile music download service by featuring music content from Matchbox Twenty and the band’s new album, “Exile on Mainstream,” within the AT&T Mobile Music platform on wireless phones. This will include exclusive content from live concert performances on MobiTV and the company’s forthcoming MobiVJ service; corresponding live tracks on Napster Mobile; and ringtone features. Matchbox Twenty’s performance of some of the band’s biggest and best-loved hits, the current single “How Far We’ve Come,” and band interviews are also available online at the AT&T blue room (http://www.attblueroom.com/music).
“The mobile platform is important for the music industry, and it’s an essential part of any artist’s distribution channels,” said Rob Thomas, lead singer from Matchbox Twenty. “AT&T’s new partnership with Napster provides another seamless opportunity for music fans to connect to their favorite artists instantly.”
With today’s announcement, AT&T is reinforcing the company’s commitment to delivering anytime, anywhere access to content. In addition, AT&T will be the only national provider to enable customers to purchase full-track songs over the air from both Napster, one of the most popular mainstream providers of digital music nationwide, and eMusic, the world’s largest retailer of independent music.
With Napster Mobile via AT&T Mobile Music, customers will be able to:
- Discover Music. Browse from a catalog of more than 5 million songs, including content from all major labels, in a few easy steps and preview 30-second samples before purchasing.
- Listen to Music. Download full-track songs over the air and listen to the music that you want to hear in less than a minute.
- Manage Music. Instantly receive copies of purchased tracks on both your wireless phone and your PC. Knowing that the PC is the hub for managing music, AT&T makes it as simple and convenient as possible for customers to have the same music on their computers as they do on their wireless phones.
In addition to Napster Mobile, AT&T is also announcing two new music applications: MobiVJ, a streaming video service, and VIP Access, a mobile fan club and discovery service. These two new services further expand AT&T’s mobile music portfolio. MobiVJ is easily accessible now by pressing the Music Note key and selecting Shop Applications on the company’s portfolio of music phones, and VIP Access will be available in early November.
With MobiVJ, AT&T’s wireless customers will be able to stream MobiTV music video channels, from up to eight genres, directly to wireless handsets for only $6.99 a month. Additionally, users will also be able to purchase full-track songs, matching ringtones and wallpaper from their favorite music videos. With VIP Access, customers will be able to search artist biographies and discographies, sample new music, participate in polls and receive breaking alerts via text messaging services for only $2.99 a month. The option to purchase related content will also be available.
These new services complement AT&T’s existing Mobile Music experience, which is the richest and most complete mobile music offering in the industry. AT&T Mobile Music enables customers to choose how they want to discover and listen to music — whether via instantaneous downloading or via sideloading from popular music subscription services such as Napster and eMusic. Other AT&T Mobile Music offerings include satellite radio with XM Radio, a song-recognition service called MusicID and a vast ringtone library. Customers can find AT&T’s Mobile Music offerings by clicking on the Music Note key on their music phones.
AT&T was the only U.S. carrier to offer a phone with iTunes capability in 2005 and launched the Apple iPhone in June of this year.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world’s most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation’s leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.
(c) 2007 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property.
About Napster
Napster, the pioneer of digital music, offers the ultimate in interactive music experiences, creating better ways to discover, share, acquire and enjoy music – anytime, anywhere. The company’s offerings include “Napster” (www.napster.com) – the most popular on-demand music subscription service in the world; “Freenapster” (www.freenapster.com) – a unique Web experience offering free on demand music legally; and “Napster Mobile” – one of the industry’s fastest growing mobile music platforms. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Napster’s services are available in markets across North America, Europe and Japan.
About Matchbox Twenty
Matchbox Twenty is Rob Thomas, Paul Doucette, Kyle Cook and Brian Yale. 2007 marks the band’s 10th anniversary of making music and they are commemorating this milestone with the release of EXILE ON MAINSTREAM, featuring 11 of their greatest hits, and six new songs including the hit single “How Far We’ve Come.” “EXILE ON MAINSTREAM”, the best selling greatest hits package of 2007, debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and #1 on the Current Alternative Chart. 10 of the 11 tracks on the disc were top 10 singles at Hot AC/Adult Top 40 radio, including the #1-charting “3 AM,” “Bent,” “If You’re Gone,” and “Unwell.” Combined, these four songs spent 54 weeks at the top of the charts, marking the most weeks at #1 for any act in the history of the Hot AC/Adult Top 40 listings. Matchbox Twenty has sold more than 28 million albums to date and has garnered five Grammy and three American Music Award nominations, while lead singer Rob Thomas has earned three Grammy Awards, 11 BMI Awards, and was named Billboard Magazine’s “Songwriter of the Year” two years in a row. In addition, “Smooth” which was written by Rob Thomas and performed with Carlos Santana has been named the #1 Hit of All Time.
