For a trail period, 100 radio listeners in the Midlands have been able to make impulse purchases of songs from the DAB digital simulcast of Chrysalis Radio’s 100.7 Heart FM service. The four week period was possible thanks to mobile phones incorporating DMD applications developed by TTP.
The results of the Digital Music Download trial will be published at a presentation to analysts today in Birmingham by UBC Media Group. The groundbreaking technology allows real-time downloads of tracks from radio stations as the listener hears them.
Digital radio music downloading differs from 3G mobile music download services as it offers the ability to interact directly with radio broadcasts, rather than
having to search and download tracks proactively. UBC Media Group will announce plans for the full consumer launch of the service later this year.
Simon Cole, Chief Executive of UBC Media said:
‘I’m delighted that our original assumptions are validated by this research – and particularly by the strong response to interactive digital radio services in
a mobile. Although we have to be cautious about reading too much commercially into a restricted trial, the appetite for impulse purchase from radio is clearly
there. As we expected, the group who found the service most attractive were those currently untapped by online music downloading.’
Phil Riley, Chief Executive of Chrysalis Radio commented:
‘I am delighted that Heart has played an instrumental part in this trial and to see how popular the service has been. Digital Music Downloading is clearly hugely value enhancing for our radio stations and our listeners.’