Sony Ericsson's mobile music leadership on show at MIDEM 2007

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February 9, 2007 Sony Ericsson's mobile music leadership on show at MIDEM 2007	[Back]

Over 9,000 music industry delegates and 2,300 exhibiting companies gathered in Cannes, France from January 20-25, 2007 at one of the industry's largest tradeshows, MIDEM 2007. Sony Ericsson attended MIDEM for only the second time but this time as the undisputed leader in music on mobile phones following the outstanding success of the Sony Ericsson Walkman

phones during 2005 and 2006.

Over 20 million Walkman phones (not just MP3 players but full music phones with comprehensive music player and interface as well as integrated applications and services) have been sold since they were introduced in the summer of 2005, with 17 million in the last year alone. A total of 60 million music-enabled mobile phones were sold by Sony Ericsson in 2006.

Keynote address by Sony Ericsson's President

Recognizing this success, for the first time, Miles Flint, Sony Ericsson's President, gave a well-attended and appreciated keynote address to the MIDEMNet conference on January 21, 2007 in the form of an interview on stage with Chairman Emeritus & Founder of MEF-Americas, Ralph Simon. Miles focused on the success of Sony Ericsson's music initiatives, the rapid growth of the company and its Walkman line-up and the future of mobile music and the great business opportunities this rapidly expanding sector offers the music industry.

Miles Flint, President of Sony Ericsson, on stage at MIDEMNet.

At Stand R31.01 (Hall Riviera) Sony Ericsson showcased the full range of Walkman phones and music accessories. These included the newly announced W200, a Walkman phone specifically designed for those making a first step into music on mobiles, right through to the award winning W950, a 3G phone with touchscreen navigation for easy navigation through playlists and music genres and 4 gigabytes of storage (enough for up to 4,000 songs).

There was also a comprehensive range of speakers and other music accessories on display including the MBW-100 Bluetooth Watch which allows you to see caller ID information on the watch, reject calls and control the music player on your Walkman phone, without even taking the phone out of your pocket: the height of cool.

French Minister of Culture visited Sony Ericsson's booth
The SEMC booth was visited by Renauld Donedieu de Vabres, the French Minister of Culture, followed by an entourage of media and photographers. He visited 15 exhibitors at MIDEM 2007 before holding a press conference. The Minister of Culture is committed to the legitimacy of creators' and artists' rights, to providing as many people as possible with access to cultural diversity and to new ways of distribution for the music industry. The French Minister enjoyed a demonstration of the W950 Walkman by Arnaud Remise from Sony Ericsson in France.

Music ecosystem
Sony Ericsson's success has not just been about phones and music accessories: it's about the whole music ecosystem including music download, access to emerging artists and tight integration with operator's music offerings as well as music related games and other applications.

M-BUZZ and PlayNow are two important building blocks in Sony Ericsson's extensive mobile music offering to music fans worldwide.

French Minister of Culture experiencing the W950 Walkman.

The M-BUZZ initiative uses both Sony Ericsson's established PlayNow service, which has been enhanced to include full track music and allows consumers to download music to Sony Ericsson phones in just four clicks, and via the M-BUZZ website . It's Sony Ericsson's music channel focusing on the exposure of new, unsigned, breaking, and developing artists via Sony Ericsson phones and content channels. M-BUZZ enables music fans everywhere to experience featured artists' full tracks, videos, biographies, gig schedules and other content, allowing them to check out tomorrow's stars up close and personal. Today M-BUZZ is provided in non-exclusive partnership with Sony ATV Music Publishing and the artists and music are marketed globally (excluding US). Read more about M-BUZZ here>>

Developer support
Sony Ericsson Developer World has a dedicated web section to stimulate the development of music-related Java ME and UIQ 3 applications, giving both C++ and Java ME developers the opportunity to imaginatively use music and audio in their applications for a broad range of mobile phones. Examples of potential music related application areas are playlist management, download agents, FM and Internet radio solutions as well as using music and sound effects in other types of applications. Read more here>>

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