Tech Shout!

Today, mobile operator Vodafone announced its plans to offer UK customers access to an unlimited music download service come Christmas 2007.

This service will be called MusicStation and will allow Vodafone customers the chance to download an unlimited number of music downloads directly on to their mobile phones for a fee of just £1.99 per week.

For this offering, Vodafone signed an exclusive deal with UK-based music firm Omnifone, the actual owners of MusicStation. One of the record labels involved is said to be Universal.

“MusicStation is the most compelling music experience on mobile today. Giving users unlimited access to our and other labels’ catalogues, all for £1.99 a week, it creates the UK’s first digital music experience on mobile that has true mass market appeal,” said Rob Wells of Universal.

Using MusicStation, users will be able to get access to over a million music tracks from all the major music labels. Users will also be able to download songs while on-the-go.

MusicStation will be available on Vodafone’s newly announced range of mobile phones that are also slated for availability before the holiday season of 2007. The best part is that users of existing 2.5G and 3G mobile phones will not have to upgrade their phones, as the service will work fine with these phones as well.

Incidentally, Vodafone already offers a pay-per-track music service. But, now that the company is offering unlimited downloads via MusicStation, this service is slated to be the first of its kind for mobile customers in the UK.

According to Tim Yates, chief marketing officer of Vodafone UK, “Today’s announcement is a first for music on the mobile in the UK and means a fundamental change to the way people experience music on their phones.”