Billboard Launches Mobile Music Destination With MForma

mForma CMO Robert Tercek announced the “exclusive long-term partnership” with Billboard this afternoon during a session billed as a case study on mobile music initiatives. The two will deliver a wide range of mobile music services under the Billboard brand in what is described as a “tightly integrated” experience. More details to come. (Disclosure: MoCoNews.net’s parent company publishes Billboard PostPlay in joint venture with Billboard’s owner, VNU.)
Update: I finally had the chance for an extended conversation with Tercek. This is a licensing deal, as is usually the case with mForma, or, as he puts it, “we pay them and we have the right to build a business for them. ” The schedule calls for a Q2 launch; no carriers officially on board yet. Billboard appealed to mForma because of its somewhat agnostic approach to music; instead of appealing to a particular niche, Billboard’s vaunted charts and coverage cross the board, offering an entry point for just about every musical intersted. The idea is to leverage the power of the Billboard charts, archival data and news plus the usual suite of mobile downloads. Tercek said mForma believes the brand, because of the charts, is strong enough to pitch oustide North America The working model looks like a very deep web site and includes touches like artists pages, event alerts, etc.. Tercek said he could see a monthly subscription for the bundle in the $5.99 range with various elements being offered separately according to carrier.
Full-track downloads, streaming audio and multimedia “are envisioned as part of this service but “actual deployment is up to the carrier.” The most likely scenario for actual music sales beyond ringtones would be through the carrier’s music store.
Bottom line: This seems like a no-brainer if it’s done right by all involved. In real estate, it’s location. In mobile services, location doesn’t matter without execution.

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