BBC News: The music business has been in decline for the last seven years. CDs are not selling in the numbers they used to, which is a worry for the record industry as well as retailers.
The online revolution took the record industry by surprise and it has been playing catch-up ever since. The recording industry is finally hitting back and mobile phones are leading the charge.
Globally, various mobile music stores have launched; the UK has seen three launch in recent weeks. Generating more hype than the average Hollywood blockbuster, Apple’s iPhone downloads songs using wi-fi from its already successful iTunes store. Muscling in on the download action, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has launched its own store.
Both of these are download-to-own options, which means music is purchased and downloaded to a mobile – that music then belongs to the phone’s user. Mobile music company Omnifone has teamed with networks in the UK, Sweden and Hong Kong to provide a subscription-based service.
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