TMCnet News
Sam Goody First National Retailer to Offer In-store Ringtone Download Service; G-Tones(TM) Service Result of Partnership with Motricity and Mobile 365MINNEAPOLIS --(Business Wire)-- Sept. 26, 2005 -- Musicland Group Inc., a leading national entertainment retailer, today announced a partnership with Motricity and Mobile 365 to launch the company's new in-store, ringtone download service, G-Tones. The first of its kind initiative reinforces Musicland's reinvention of its Sam Goody brand to better connect with teen and young adult customers. "Mobile entertainment continues to grow in importance with Sam Goody customers. With G-Tones, Sam Goody is the first retailer to effectively market and merchandise ringtones together with physical products. We are creating a new call to action for customers to purchase mobile content, furthering our mission to establish the brand as an entertainment lifestyle destination," said Musicland CEO Eric S. Weisman. "Sam Goody customers crave products that encompass self expression; our ringtone offering complements their desire to express themselves." Starting October 4th, G-Tones will launch at more than 460 Sam Goody stores nationwide. Cingular (including former AT&T subscribers) and T-Mobile subscribers will be able to purchase, via a text message addressed to GOODY (46639), master ($2.99) or polyphonic ($1.99) ringtones from albums found on Sam Goody's "Most Wanted" CD wall. Each ringtone will have a corresponding keyword the user types in the body of the text message to download the ringtone. After the customer confirms their order via text messaging, the ringtone is delivered to the phone and billing is handled through the customer's wireless bill. To create G-Tones, Musicland partnered with Motricity to provision the mobile content, and Mobile 365, to handle delivery, clearing and settlement of the service. Motricity, a premier provider of mobile content solutions and services to the wireless industry, will provide G-Tone's ringtone offering. "Less than fifteen percent of mobile devices are used beyond phone conversations. That's going to change dramatically as a result of better end-user experiences," said Ryan Wuerch, chairman and CEO of Motricity. "We are excited about helping Musicland become a leader in off-network mobile content distribution by providing mobile content downloads to their large audience of music shoppers. Personalized, robust content and cross-carrier distribution channels will enable mainstream adoption to happen rapidly." Mobile 365, the global leader in the delivery, clearing and settlement of mobile messaging services, will handle the ringtone delivery to G-Tone users' phones, and billing integration with the wireless carriers. "From concept to connectivity, Musicland was able to add an entire new element to the G-Tones launch and will extend mobile content to a whole new demographic of their customer base," said Neville Street, president and CEO of Mobile 365. "Mobile 365 has the global reach to ensure the seamless execution of a program of this magnitude, and we look to collaborate with partners like Motricity to bring superior mobile programs in a one-stop-shop fashion." About Musicland Musicland Group Inc. is a leading national specialty retailer of entertainment products and services appealing to trend-conscious, entertainment-focused consumers. The company is expanding and diversifying its key entertainment offerings to satisfy the changing needs of its consumers. Musicland operates approximately 890 retail stores and online under the names Sam Goody (samgoody.com), Media Play (mediaplay.com) and Suncoast Motion Picture Company (suncoast.com) in 48 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. About Motricity As the world's leading mobile content and solutions provider, Motricity's technology and solutions enable consumers to receive the right mobile content, at the right time, everytime. By offering technology and services that unify the mobile content ecosystem, Motricity creates compelling user experiences and delivers more profitable mobile content offerings for partners such as Cingular, Verizon Wireless, China Unicom, O2, Amazon.com, palmOne and a network of consumer websites, including eReader.com and PalmGear.com. Motricity is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and has offices in Beijing, London, Munich and San Diego. For more information, please visit www.motricity.com. About Mobile 365 Delivering nearly two billion messages per month, Mobile 365 leads the world in the global delivery and settlement of mobile messaging and data services, including SMS, MMS, WAP, and Instant Messaging. With reach to more than 500 mobile operators around the world, Mobile 365's global connectivity and network reliability inspire confidence that your inter-operator messages and interactive campaigns get successfully delivered, and that your revenue is always processed quickly. Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, USA, Mobile 365 has offices in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Paris, San Mateo (California, USA), Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Taipei. Major operator customers include Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile, Telcel, Telefonica, and O2. Major brand customers include Volvo, Sony Pictures, MSN, Citibank, Siemens, Ogilvy, Dunkin' Donuts, Vodafone, and more. For more information, visit: www.mobile365.com. |
