T-Mobile is providing the ability to download music to mobile phones. But, as The Register notes, Apple needn’t fear for its iPod just yet. T-Mobile’s new ‘Ear Phone’ handsets can hold just three songs at once. And each song is limited to a 90-120 second clip - and they’re not cheap: 1.50 or 1.50.

TheFeature has more details:

Rather than risk delivering a poor user experience over GPRS (and we know what a drag downloading a song can be), T-Mobile has cleverly decided to tailor the songs to the bandwidth available. The result is a world-first Mobile Mix format - song snippets of between 90 and 120 seconds that users can download directly to their 2.5G and 3G phones in around two minutes.

According to Graham Thomas, VP Consumer Propositions & Content Services at T-Mobile, who briefed me on the service (slated to launch 2Q2004 in the UK, Germany and Austria), downloads will “cost around L2.50 in the UK ( 3.75 in the Europe) per track including airtime.” Users will be able to download around 64 tracks to their phones.

Apparently, the music labels are sold on it because the service will only be accessible via phones that adhere to the OMA standard for DRM. The service will initially be supported by the Nokia 6230, 6600 and 7600, with additional handsets to follow.

Music via WiFi hotspots might be more practical. McDonald’s is partnering with Sony Music while Starbucks is trying an in-store music service. The Seattle coffee giant uses Hewlett-Packard tablet computers for touch-screen access. The first musical Starbucks opened in Santa Monica, Calif., with the service expected to expand into 2,500 stores over the next two years. HP’s music-hosting web site has the software while Apple has PC versions of the iTunes player.

Austin Wireless has been hosting music in its free hot spots. Austin Wireless users can download a free iTunes player, then receive over 500 iTunes songs during SXSW 2004. It’s the equivalent of 1.5 days of music when played back-to-back.

Microsoft’s ‘Janus’ DRM technology debuted in the Windows Media Player 10 beta.

The new Digital Rights Management technology will be embedded inside and will be the successor to the existing Windows Media DRM technology. Unlike the current Windows Media rights management, Janus is designed to work across devices as well as on the next-gen Windows Media Center systems due out later this year, and is custom-designed to support subscription music services. AOL, Disney, Napster and CinemaNow have signed on.

Liquid Radio Live (LRL) a new Internet radio station gives independent artists the opportunity to have their music played on the site for free, pending approval by one of LRL s listening teams. Or, artists/bands can upgrade to one of two options: $9.95/month for a short description of the band, a Buy Now link for the group s CD, and a direct link to their Web site; or $24.95/month for a personalized Web page with up to eight photos, a dedicated streaming media player, and a listing in the Featured Artists section.

Online music stores like Apple’s iTunes, RealNetworks’s Rhapsody and Roxio’s Napster are forming joint ventures with consumer brands. Apple’s iTunes was the first, doing a deal with Pepsi, combining free downloads with special bottle caps.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Tuesday, June 29th, 2004 at 1:44 am.