Last week, Canadian wireless communications provider Rogers Wireless unveiled a mobile music service called Rogers MusicStore. According to Rogers, the MusicStore is the first mobile music service in North America to offer its customers the ability to purchase and download full-length songs to their cell phones and to their PCs.

Rogers has entered into licensing agreements with major record labels Universal Music and Warner Music to provide the actual original recordings for this service. The service provides dual-download functionality which allows customers to download songs either to their cell phones or to both their cell phones and to their PCs. Customers can play the downloaded songs as often as they wish.

The MusicStore also offers peer-to-peer functionality. Once a song is purchased, customers can transfer a song from their cell phones to other cell phones that also contain the MusicStore software.

However, because of built-in digital rights management technology, people who receive a song file in this manner will not be able to play the entire song until payment has been made.

Rogers Wireless is also offering RealTrax ring tunes. These MP3-quality ringtones are music clips taken from original recordings featuring the original artist. Rogers has struck agreements with Universal Music, Warner Music and EMI Recorded Music to offer these clips.

Customers with Call Display Ring Tune ID can also assign specific ring tones to specific phone numbers, thereby identifying incoming calls simply by the ring tone.

Rogers MusicStore allows customers to search for songs, albums or artists. Customers can browse music recommendations, new releases and charts. The store will recommend specific music to individual customers based on each customer’s prior choices.

Prices range from $1.25 to $1.99. Rogers Wireless will charge a download fee of one dollar for dual delivery of songs to a cell phone and to a PC.

The technology for Rogers Wireless MusicStore is provided by U.S.-based Melodeo Mobile Music Service. Active in Europe, the Rogers deal represents Melodeo’s first entry into the North American market.

Melodeo uses the aacPlus codec. Cell phone models vary; however, with 64MB of memory customers can store between 75 and 125 tracks. Storage can be increased on cell phones that take additional memory cards.

More information on Rogers MusicStore is available at www.rogers.com/musicstore.

(Abstracted from Introducing Rogers MusicStore, Canada NewsWire, May 9, 2005; and Rogers Wireless Debuts MusicStore, Wireless Week, May 10, 2005)