If music on the move is your bag then Orange has you firmly in its sights.
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It is beginning to look, and sound, as if we are firmly entrenched in a period when music will abound where ever we go. With iPods, various MP3 players, digital home entertainment centres and music download sites on the increase, you would think that the available take-up for this market sector was pretty much covered. But not so according to the people at Orange. Recently the company made a number of announcements regarding its commitment to a music future for 2G and 3G customers plus anybody else who needs music on tap.
In its role as the UKs most popular mobile network (how else would you expect Orange to describe itself), the company has launched, as part of its Orange World concept, its Find Music service to help users find and enjoy the music they want at whatever location. As yet I have not experienced the delights of the promised audio quality offered by this service. My ears are still recovering from the almost deafening sound blast of the launch event. It was almost as if Orange wanted to desensitise the assembled journalists with a wall of impenetrable sound in my case it was a relief to leave early to face the relative quiet of Londons evening traffic.
It is my understanding that Find Music will form an integral part of Oranges Music Player service which has over 25,000 full-length tracks available for download. The Music Player application is free and allows tracks to be previewed at no cost but a full download will cost £1.50 per track.
Music to list to, at whatever volume level, is not the only feature of Find Music. This service will allow for the purchase of gig tickets through a new sponsorship line up and give access to exclusive artist material plus ring tones, wallpapers and news about your favourite bands.
For those not satisfied with original versions of tracks, Orange offers Fireplayer. This is an application that lets users create and record a mix of their favourite songs. Features include the ability to add drums, bass and vocals plus convert the results to a ring tone. Fireplayer is free. Currently there are just over 80 Fireplay tracks available featuring artists such as Fatboy Slim, Faithless and Ciara. Tracks will cost £3.50 to download.
Orange has seemingly hit the ground with its latest venture into the mobile music marketplace. Alongside its Find Music announcement, Orange was able to claim an industry first when it revealed that music downloads from Orange World to Orange mobiles will form part of the Official UK Singles Chart. According to James Gillespie (Product and New Media coordinator of the Official UK Charts Company) this will ensure that the Official Singles Chart remains the most accurate barometer of the UKs music taste and consumption but only with regards to Orange users.
New handsets from Nokia and Sony Ericsson will enable users to gain the full advantage from these latest Orange initiatives. The handsets to look out for are the Sony Ericsson K300i, Nokia 3230 and Nokia 6680.
http://www.orange.co.uk/multimedia/orange_world.html
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