Leap Wireless International’s Cricket subsidiary and LiveWire Mobile today launched Mobile Music, an online service allowing customers to download music and ringback tones directly to their handsets, personal computers, or both.
The music store, available via the mobile WAP site or Web store, offers downloads directly to a Cricket phone for $1.99, to a computer for 99 cents or to both for $2.25. Alternatively, users can bulk buy three mobile downloads for $5.
Ringback tones also will be available through a subscription. Mobile video is not available through this service.
David MacQueen, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, sees a number of online music stores moving toward this dual-delivery mode. “We found that 81 percent of people surveyed were willing to pay $1 for a conventional download. About 81 percent of the same group was willing to pay $1.20 for the same download directly to their mobile phone.”
Cricket customers must have a 3G handset to use the service.
