The mobile services company, Txttunes, is partnering with CD Baby to provide new music services to customers. The new venture means that customers of Txttunes can access the CD Baby catalog through their existing Txttunes service packages and through the company’s web-based network.

The partnership also provides a publicity opportunity for Indie artists. CD Baby has brought artists such as Jack Johnson, Gary Jules and OAR into the limelight. In addition to promoting new artists, well-known artists have also benefited from CD Baby’s services, which have enabled musicians to make smaller releases known directly to their fans. Musicians such as Beach Boy Al Jardine, Grant Lee-Phillips, George Clinton and Thomas Dolby are amongst the list of celebrities who have used CD Baby.

The popularity of Txttunes services brings an advantage to CD Baby’s lesser known acts, and the provision of the CD Baby catalog adds to Txttunes’s list of promotional service features. Txttunes operates a service which enables individuals to purchase songs through their computers whilst being charged through their mobile phone accounts rather than by credit card. Customers of Txttunes can use the company’s web-based services to form wireless networks and fan clubs for their favorite artists.

The Txttunes network is currently used by more than 200,000,000 mobile phone users in the USA, and some of the carriers for these mobiles include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon (News - Alert), Alltel, Boost Mobile and Cellular One. Txttunes also hopes to expand its services to the UK, Canada and Australia.

“We look forward to reaching out to fans who don't have access to credit cards and want to connect with their favorite artists by cell phone,” said CEO of Txttunes, Matt Coleman. “The CD Baby catalogue represents the largest independent music collection around the globe, representing 200,000 artists and labels.”

Txttunes has designed a customized widget for each artist. Music labels can communicate directly with their fan bases by alerting fans through the Txt Community feature and by providing fans with a different way of paying for music. Txttunes enters customers into a prize draw to win music merchandise each time they purchase a single through their mobile phones.

---------

Calvin Azuri is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Don’t forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.

Today’s featured White Paper (News - Alert) is titled VoIP Doesn’t Require Any Phone Equipment Investment, brought to you by Accessline.