66% don't care about mobile music, reveals study

66% don't care about mobile music, reveals study
According to a new Jupiter research study, "a combination of disinterest and unnecessary hurdles" is currently stopping most mobile phone users from using mobile music downloads.

Out of the 1800 respondents, two thirds (a bit over 66 percent) said there was nothing the carriers could do to make them want to buy music on their phones while 28 percent said they were interested in ringtones. The remaining 14 percent were interested in purchasing full tracks.



Of those who could not be conned into purchasing tracks, the price of the downloads was the main barrier. Many said they would reconsider if the prices were equal to those of say Amazon or iTunes but many carriers charge a huge premium "to offset the extra network Bandwidth costs."

"Absent some exciting new business models, music labels and carriers will continue to cede most of the digital-music turf to Apple,"
Jupiter says.

Besides price issues, those polled were also frustrated by the inaccessibility of the music, with many finding it very hard to find or download using a phone. Many also complained about ridiculous DRM restrictions on the music as well as the quality.



Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 Apr 2008 18:06
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  • 20 comments
  • ZoSoIV

    hell even a buck a song is to much!

    13.4.2008 20:35 #1

  • ZippyDSM

    heres my idea for mobile music, I pay 15$ a month for a crappy cell phone service(which includes a 300-600minete phone plan) where I can stream all the music off my hard drive to my cell device infinitively.

    I hate the FCC for making FM transmission ilisct, and using a 2 way(walkie talky) is kinda annoying....

    13.4.2008 21:00 #2

  • 21Q

    It's because people don't actually buy music. Silly cell phone carriers.

    13.4.2008 21:58 #3

  • ZippyDSM

    Originally posted by 21Q: It's because people don't actually buy music. Silly cell phone carriers.
    Oh I'll buy my music just not for a 1$ a pop ^^

    13.4.2008 22:05 #4

  • H0bbes

    I'd have to agree with the 66%, at the very least on the pay-per-song issue. My carrier charges $2.49 +tax per song. IMO the easiest way is to buy a phone with a micro SD card or whatever and use the songs on your PC. Even then I'd prefer my mp3 player- it's just more convenient.

    13.4.2008 23:09 #5

  • 7thsinger

    A buck a song is a little salty, IMHO. You won't see my wallet open for that!

    14.4.2008 11:55 #6

  • redux79

    I think the real problem is that mobile phone manufacturers/providers are trying to incorporate all of these bells and whistles while the actual phone service is suffering. People don't care about internet access or music or videos or ring tones if the damn phone doesn't actually work as a phone.

    The same thing can be said for game consoles, all of these new products are trying to do everything at once but only getting to the point where it's "good enough" or simply functional.

    A phone is supposed to be a phone first and multimedia player second. A game console is supposed to push the envelope to help improve the games being developed and not try to become a sub-par pc.

    I think what the 66% of people are saying is focus on improving the phone as a phone. They don't want an mp3 playing Swiss army knife with google maps that happens to make phone calls.
    /end rant

    14.4.2008 11:58 #7

  • viny1313

    I care about mobile music... Free mobile music...

    14.4.2008 12:01 #8

  • jemaric

    i want a phone that work any where ,get me that instead of fluf

    14.4.2008 14:25 #9

  • domie

    amen to that - get me a phone that has 100% coverage - I'm one of those freaks who uses his mobile phone to make phone calls - if I want to listen to music outside I have my MP3 player and headphones, in the house I have the Hi-Fi and PC - what the hell do I want to download crap quality music on to my tinny mobile for ?

    14.4.2008 16:08 #10

  • goodswipe

    Quote:what the hell do I want to download crap quality music on to my tinny mobile for ?Yea, I've never understood this either. I think this is geared more towards the younger crowd. Not saying that we are old, just more for teenagers.




    "look honey, it said goodswipe! oh wow, that's amazing."

    14.4.2008 16:12 #11

  • 7thsinger

    I've got my mp3 player...my PSP...my laptop, i don't need another source for poor quality audio.

    Don't care about this one bit.

    Even if that means 'Swipe thinks i'm old. :-)







    "Sir, i would not harm thee for the world...but thou art standing where i'm about to shoot."

    14.4.2008 16:16 #12

  • goodswipe

    Errr, of course not 7th! Hell, I'm only 25, so wtf am I talking about?

    14.4.2008 17:19 #13

  • varnull

    Geared at children who have stupid parents who buy things to get mugged for after they have walked around advertising the fact they have a contract mobile with mp3 capabilities.

    I'm not interested.. I still use tapes for mobile music.



    Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work....

    14.4.2008 17:31 #14

  • goodswipe

    Originally posted by varnull: Geared at children who have stupid parents who buy things to get mugged for after they have walked around advertising the fact they have a contract mobile with mp3 capabilities.

    I'm not interested.. I still use tapes for mobile music.
    LOL!



    "look honey, it said goodswipe! oh wow, that's amazing."

    14.4.2008 17:33 #15

  • profector

    Tapes huh. I'm all for convergance as long as it's done right. I have a couple fo gigs of music and movies on my pocket pc (via SD card). It's not the best cell phone in the world, but it sure beats carrying around, a phone, gps, mp3 player, dvd player, and a pda, "and" a thumb drive. Not only would it be cumbersome to carry around all that crap but it would have cost me alot more money to buy them all seperate.

    So I think music on the cell phone is good but if you have to pay $3 a song and have the DRM crap, at the point it's not worth it. If I couldn't copy my media to my phone from my PC I would never brothered buying a good phone, I would of have got the freebee one that just makes calls.

    I want to see a cell phone compony hook up with a satelite company and give me a 1000 channel on a phone with a hdmi port. Now that would be nice... HD video streaming through my cell phone to whatever tv I happen to be close to... that would be worth buying if they didn't charge an arm and a leg.

    14.4.2008 18:20 #16

  • psplvanub

    Originally posted by profector aka THE dude: Tapes huh. I'm all for convergance as long as it's done right. I have a couple fo gigs of music and movies on my pocket pc (via SD card). It's not the best cell phone in the world, but it sure beats carrying around, a phone, gps, mp3 player, dvd player, and a pda, "and" a thumb drive. Not only would it be cumbersome to carry around all that crap but it would have cost me alot more money to buy them all seperate.

    So I think music on the cell phone is good but if you have to pay $3 a song and have the DRM crap, at the point it's not worth it. If I couldn't copy my media to my phone from my PC I would never brothered buying a good phone, I would of have got the freebee one that just makes calls.

    I want to see a cell phone compony hook up with a satelite company and give me a 1000 channel on a phone with a hdmi port. Now that would be nice... HD video streaming through my cell phone to whatever tv I happen to be close to... that would be worth buying if they didn't charge an arm and a leg.

    Amen to that ive been askin mi dad to buy me one of those 4 a year now, but apparently the kids ll rip the piss out of me at school-Which they aready do. God i wish i lived in america. i hate england.

    15.4.2008 16:24 #17

  • ZippyDSM

    Quote:Originally posted by profector aka THE dude: Tapes huh. I'm all for convergance as long as it's done right. I have a couple fo gigs of music and movies on my pocket pc (via SD card). It's not the best cell phone in the world, but it sure beats carrying around, a phone, gps, mp3 player, dvd player, and a pda, "and" a thumb drive. Not only would it be cumbersome to carry around all that crap but it would have cost me alot more money to buy them all seperate.

    So I think music on the cell phone is good but if you have to pay $3 a song and have the DRM crap, at the point it's not worth it. If I couldn't copy my media to my phone from my PC I would never brothered buying a good phone, I would of have got the freebee one that just makes calls.

    I want to see a cell phone compony hook up with a satelite company and give me a 1000 channel on a phone with a hdmi port. Now that would be nice... HD video streaming through my cell phone to whatever tv I happen to be close to... that would be worth buying if they didn't charge an arm and a leg.

    Amen to that ive been askin mi dad to buy me one of those 4 a year now, but apparently the kids ll rip the piss out of me at school-Which they aready do. God i wish i lived in america. i hate england.
    its worse inthe US either everything is ignored because the system thinks its perfect or no one can do anything because everyone has already shown they cannot behave thus no one may do anyting.

    15.4.2008 16:28 #18

  • ZippyDSM

    I'l say it again I will pay up to 25 a month for a service that will give me alil phone time but let me stream my music and sht off my PC, screw the whole buy music from the phone company bloated price middle man, I want a streaming service over the cell phone thats roughly 10-15 a month by itself.

    I live in the boonies the farm here has at least 500 feet o crap to walk around when I am doing sht outside or just going for a walk and want my music/net radio with me it SUCKS, FM transmitters seem over priced.....

    15.4.2008 16:31 #19

  • defgod

    Well some of you have it right. The 66% are because of DRM and price. But those both go together. The price is because the cell companies have to pay to use another companies DRM on the songs they sell. They also have to pay the label a portion of it. So to make anything off of the sale of music on their phones. They have to charge that amount.

    Personally I download any music I want using Bittorrent. (Yea I know Pirate. I don't care.) Then I put it on my micro SD memory card. To use in my phone. I also have every bit of software (freeware) to convert any .avi file to play on my phone. I also use a program called BitPim. To put whatever background and mp3 as a ringtone I want. I can also use my headphones and adapter for mini input. To use my cell as a mp3 player. Before I even thought about purchasing this phone I researched everything I could before I made a decision as to which phone to purchase. I've found out that alot of LG phones (other than mine) have the same capabilities.

    I just wish more cell providers had better coverage in my area in rural Ohio. Our main choices here to have decent coverage are Verizon and Alltel. Granted they have some nice phones. But they don't do rollover minutes and other things some other providers do.

    I also can't wait to see if any other provider does what Verizon said they will do at the end of this year and open their network to any CDMA phone. Provided the previous provider will allow their phone to be used on another network.

    15.4.2008 18:38 #20

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