Radio/Music Download Combo Trial: Demand Is High

As we reported in June, UBC Media has been running a four-week trial of a combined radio/music downloads service. Results show that of 100 users, 83 wanted to use a DAB mobile handset in the future and 46 percent listened for more than an hour each day.
Users downloaded an average seven tracks per week, paying around $2.34 per track. The downloads service particularly appealed to women not familiar with downloading music online.
UBC Media CE Simon Cole said although the trial was limited, it did demonstrate the appetite for impulse purchase from radio. “As we expected, the group who found the service most attractive were those currently untapped by online music downloading,” he said.
The trial used Chrysalis Radio’s 100.7 Heart FM and is expected to roll the service out to other stations later this year as part of its full consumer launch. Release
— The BBC is reported to be developing plans for a plug-in DAB chip for mobiles, which would give it extra reach for its own digital radio services. Digital radio downloads interact directly with broadcasts, so downloads are much easier. With 3G services, users need to search for tracks before they can download them.
Related: Listen To Radio, Buy Song From Mobile Phones
BBC’s Mulling Over DAB Chip for MP3 Players and Phones

This article originally appeared in MediaGuardian.

Comments have been disabled for this post