Warner on Mobile Music

The processes of buying and downloading music from a cellphone borders on the excruciating, according to Warner Music chief Edgar Bronfman's presentation at this week's 3GSM phone expo in Barcelona. The controversial CEO made the disturbing revelation that while many cellphones in use today can play music and buy it directly from an online store, only 8.5 percent of their owners actually choose to do so. The label head blamed this in large part on the difficulty of access, observing that even the simple act of buying a ringtone required two full minutes and 20 clicks before the download even begins.

"It's expensive, it's complicated and it's slow," Bronfman said. "It's amazing that we've generated as much revenue as we have given how cumbersome the experience can be."

Industry experts at the presentation agreed with the opinion and noted that some steps could be taken immediately to streamline the process. Stabilizing the price through subscriptions is one approach, said MTV digital media president Mika Salmi, as it settles the often volatile prices of cellphone music stores. Bronfman warned, however, that even seemingly basic downloads that people have come to expect from computer-based stores are frequently missing or scattered across different services. It's currently impossible for most stores to even offer a mixed-media download, the executive told his audience.

Despite his criticism of Apple's new DRM policy, the Warner Music director was quick to praise the iPhone as an example of what phone designers themselves could do to spark interest in mobile music. "Before it's even hit the market it has raised the bar in terms of what users expect with a user interface and what music phones should do," he said.

Phone-based music stores have a history of high prices and arcane download rules, with even the recently launched Helio Music and Omnifone MusicStation charging double the 99-cent price of most computer-driven online stores. Most such services also require special software and often restrict the playback of songs outside of the phone itself. Apple hasn't disclosed any plans to offer mobile iTunes Store purchases.

By Electronista Staff