Billboard Mobile offers top ten charts for ringtones and music as gateway to unique music discovery application for mobile-phone users

Mobile Internet, The, March, 2005

MFORMA, a publisher and distributor of mobile entertainment, and Billboard, a trusted source of music and entertainment news, charts, and reviews, announced their entrance into the mobile music marketplace and a long-term, exclusive partnership to deliver a wide array of new music services under the Billboard brand to mobile users everywhere.

Billboard Mobile, a multimedia music discovery application tightly integrated with Billboard.com, will provide users access to music, charts, and music news in a way never before seen in mobile.

Starting with the world-famous Billboard charts, which rank top music singles, albums, and ringtones, users of Billboard Mobile will be able to access a wide range of information to help them find and download their favorite ringtones, purchase CDs, and even find the location of a concert near their hometown.

Billboard Mobile delivers streaming audio for ringtones and music, and important music-industry information such as music reviews and artist news, tour dates, concert venues, and ticket information.

The all-inclusive Billboard Mobile service also delivers integrated entertainment applications such as mini-games and music trivia, all presented with an intuitive user interface that is unique among mobile applications. Billboard Mobile will launch in North America next month.

"Billboard Mobile applications are designed to provide real-time, portable and trusted music news, reviews and charts to millions of fans around the world, for whom the Billboard brand is synonymous with success in music," said Dan Kranzler, MFORMA CEO.

"Billboard Mobile is designed to let users immerse themselves in all things music through the single most credible music brand out there. We are very pleased to collaborate with Billboard to bring the exciting and different Billboard Mobile to market."

Users accessing Billboard Mobile from their mobile phones will first be able to navigate the famous Billboard charts free of charge.

They can navigate by music genre (including ringtones), and, from there, users may unlock even more content by subscribing to Billboard Mobile. Premium subscription content includes artist information, headlines and full feature articles with images, music reviews and song info, event info, trivia, and games. Users can search and browse by genre, artist, song or album name, venue, or event.

The search functionality is entirely intuitive, offering users multiple pathways to find what they are looking for. For example, if searching by artist name, the user will reach an artist's page, which includes access to ringtones for that artist plus pictures, news, tour dates, and reviews.

Beyond ringtones, Billboard Mobile provides similarly easy discovery and purchase pathways to singles as well as full albums. Purchases are billed on the user's monthly mobile-phone invoice.

Billboard Mobile will be fully integrated with Billboard.com, which attracts 2.5 million unique visitors every month and will be relaunched this summer. Billboard and MFORMA will closely collaborate on promotions and comarketing programs via Billboard.com and will market the fully integrated Billboard Mobile consumer platform on the mobile deck and online, as well as through Billboard's TV, radio, online, print, and licensing network.