Social Sites Spur Use of Mobile Music

With social networks hot on mobile, music may tag along

Social networks are going mobile as aficionados tap into and update their profiles on the run. If mobile music services integrated some social network features, they too might gain more traction among consumers.

In a survey of telecom industry professionals worldwide conducted by Informa Telecoms & Media, 71% of respondents said social networks and community services would have a significant impact on driving adoption of peer-to-peer mobile content, such as downloads of music tracks, albums and videos.

Mobile music providers are feeling pressure to incorporate popular social networking functions—the ability to connect and chat with friends, along with creating, editing and “publishing” content—to make their services more user-friendly.

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“It makes complete sense for mobile music services to allow consumers to socialize while they’re interacting with music,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst. “People like to share playlists and discuss their favorite bands with their friends. This doesn’t mean that music services need to have their own dedicated social networks. Linking up with existing networks makes much more sense.”

In Q3 2008, the IBM Institute for Business Value found that social networking and accessing music were the two most popular online and mobile activities of Internet users worldwide.

In 2008, the global mobile music segment generated more than $9 billion in revenues, including revenues from ringtones, ringback tones, full-track downloads and music streaming services, according to Informa.

Mobile music services in the US that have incorporated a few social features include buzzd, phling!, MOKO and Shazam.

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