Japanese to download full CD-quality songs to mobile phones

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2004

TOKYO (AFP) — The Japanese will soon move to new frontiers in their passion for mobile telephones and pop music as customers will be able to download full-length, CD-quality songs onto their cellphones.

Japan's number-two telecommunications firm KDDI said Thursday it will offer a service of 10,000 songs with sound quality so good the music can be listened to on stereo speakers. Users can also use the tunes as ring tones.

Working with record labels, KDDI plans to allow users to download each tune for several hundred yen (several dollars) and eventually to expand the database of songs.

"We may be able to offer songs for downloads before CDs are officially released. That might serve as a sampler for people to decide whether to buy CDs of certain artists," said...