Cliq – the instant music download service designed for mobile phones and digital radio has closed, with UBC saying that it will instead concentrate on providing a business-to-business solution to makers of connected devices, including Wi-Fi digital radios.
UBC Media has spent £2 million developing the service, which is available via GMG, Bauer and Global radio stations such as Smooth, Galaxy and Magic.
Cliq officially launched just six months ago in December 2007 after signing deals with many music publishers including Sony BMG Music.
Simon Cole, CEO of UBC Media said just a couple of weeks ago at RADIO 3.0 conference they were in talks with Carphone Warehouse about expanding the service, and that the recent 'free music day' had cost the company £10,000.
Cole even announced plans to launch a Pure DAB radio set code named Vivaldi, and called Cliq a "learning experience" for UBC.
It is thought the service will be made available to technology companies with which UBC has existing contracts, including Imagination Technologies, which makes wi-fi digital radios. The company said it also expects to make savings of 1.2 million pounds after closure costs of about 1.1 million pounds for the current year and that no further funds will be invested in Cliq.
Simon Cole said today: "I remain convinced that transactional revenues will be an important part of the radio industry in the future. For a variety of reasons, including the delay by manufacturers in bringing DAB connected devices to market, we have tried to lead this process in the interim on the JAVA mobile phone platform and have not succeeded. However, the technology, intellectual property and pending patents that we have developed during this process remain within the business. We believe we can exploit these without the need for the high risk, high cost exposure to a consumer service."
