Thumbplay Releases Subscription Music For iPhone

Thumbplay Apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android

Think RealNetworks’ Rhapsody for mobile, except for this service works across Android, BlackBerry and now iPhone, too.

Thumbplay, once a dominant ringtone provider, is switching gears to leverage the smartphone boom, and is placing its bets on full-track subscription music services. Now its application is on the three top platforms and says Palm (NSDQ: PALM) and Symbian are also in the works. Today, Rhapsody supports both iPhone and Android, but says BlackBerry is coming soon.

A lot of companies are assuming consumers will warm up to these subscription services, and mobile seems to be one way to get their attention. The proposition sounds nice: download as many songs as you like for one monthly recurring fee — often around $10 a month. Still, most consumers are continuing to buy their songs on an a la carte basis.

Right now, Thumbplay charges customers via credit card, PayPal and Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) Payments, however, it’s also working closely with carriers to be integrated on to their storefronts and into their carrier billing. So far, it’s partnered with Cellular South, a regional carrier, but is only supporting credit card and PayPal payments to start. Rhapsody has an exclusive partnership with Verizon Wireless, and AT&T (NYSE: T) recently revamped its music services with Packet Video.

While Thumbplay has apps on all three platforms, they are not all equal. For instance, users can listen to music even when they don’t have a cellular connection, like on the subway or on a flight, but that’s only currently available on BlackBerry with support for Android and iPhone coming soon.

As far as the size of the catalogs available, but Rhapsody and Thumbplay are claiming access to around 9 million tracks from the major labels and independents as well.

The big question is when will I see Thumbplay start advertising its MP3 service on the mobile Web instead of those pervasive ringtone banners?

We’ll be addressing some of these themes during our next conference, PaidContent2010 Mobile: Leveraging the Smartphone Boom, July 20 in New York City. You can find out more about the agenda and register at http://paidcontent.org/event/mobile2010/.

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