Omnifone has announced MusicStation Max, a mobile phone application designed to provide users within unlimited access to mobile music from major labels to their pre-licensed music phones. LG will be the first manufacturer to bundle in MusicStation Max, with 3G and HSDPA handsets due to start reaching consumers in the first half of 2008.
The basic idea behind MusicStation Max is this: handsets are pre-licensed to access the music, so instead of paying by the song or by the month to access digital music, users just sign up to a music, voice, and data plan from their mobile operator for a period of 12 to 18 months. During that time, users will be able to download and listen to unlimited amounts of streamed music; when their service period ends, users can either migrate to a new MusicStation-enabled device, or simply continue listening to songs they’ve already downloaded on their current phone as long as they want.
“Consumers will come to expect unlimited mobile music downloads direct to their phone, whenever they want,” said Omnifone CEO Rob Lewis, in a statement. “The new MusicStation Max handsets will give consumers the ultimate music freedom; the ability to download, discover, play and share whatever music they want, wherever they are.”
MusicStation Max will ship with a PC-based application enabling users to synchronize their music across their computers and phones, plus manage playists, album, friends, and music recommendations. A full backup of a user’s MusicStation Max setup is stored on the network as well, so in the event a phone is lost, damaged, or stolen, users won’t lose their music.
