FRAMINGHAM, Mass.-The full-track wireless music download industry in the United States will reach $1.2 billion in revenue by 2009, according to a study from research firm IDC Corp.
While the nascent industry faces a host of potential hurdles-including digital rights management issues, razor-thin sales margins and a lack of music-friendly handsets and high-speed networks-more than 50 million subscribers will be downloading entire songs to their handsets within four years, the study indicated. While operators in Asia, Europe and even Canada have launched full-track music services, U.S. carriers have yet to deploy such an offering.
Subscribe now to get the daily newsletter from RCR Wireless News
“IDC believes that there is opportunity for wireless music services to include a range of bundled services designed to complement full tracks, and to deliver music to consumers however and whenever they want it,” IDC analysts Lewis Ward and David Linsalata said in a prepared statement. “Wireless devices and networks are emerging as a great new channel for the delivery not just a-la-carte tracks, but subscription-oriented packages that include radio and song identification technologies, ringtones, ringback tones, music videos, concert information alerts and more.”