Sony Ericsson Launches Music Download Service

The new service will give opportunities to smaller and independent artists to gain exposure by making their songs available to Sony Ericsson's large user database. Owners of M-Buzz capable phones can log into a special network directly from their phones and download music.

"M-BUZZ is all about breaking new artists; it’s about giving tomorrow’s stars, the artists that have not yet been picked up by major record companies, the exposure they deserve and the possibility for them to reach a wider audience," explains Martin Blomkvist, Head of Content Acquisition and Partner Management at Sony Ericsson.

Sony Ericsson is partnering with Sony/ATV Music Publishing to give the artists on ATV exposure.

"Today’s announcement is another great example of the cooperative spirit that exists between Sony Ericsson and other Sony Group companies, which gives us a unique opportunity to bring appealing, innovative content to our mobile phones," says Miles Flint, President of Sony Ericsson.

Two phones will initially offer the service, the W850 and W950 Walkman phones, which the company announced earlier this year. Both phones are expected to debut in Europe, Latin America, and Asian markets, with no details of an American release yet.

Both phones would debut European, Asian and Latin American markets later this year. The company sees these phones as a way to promote artists from Sony/ATV Music Publishing's roster, offering some compelling cross promotional opportunities.

The service is expected to go live October 2 in 20 markets that are already using PlayNow, Sony Ericsson said.