SONGPEOPLE.CO.UK LISTEN. RATE. WIN

It seems Spotify isn’t the only one going after the youth mobile phone market, as Orange, Universal and C4 appear to be doing much of the same.

Orange will be launching a new mobile music service that will give pre-paid customers unlimited access to the catalog from Universal Music – which they will be able to access via any cellular phone.  This new service is aimed at the youth market, and will send users free offers and promotions based on the music they listen to through the service.  Blyk, the mobile advertising specialist, partnered with Orange for just this purpose.

Users will be allowed free access to a website through which they can make playlists, share tracks with other users and access exclusive content – but only if they spend more than £10 above their talk time bill.  Exclusive content will include information about secret shows from Universal artists like Girls Aloud, Lady Gaga and La Roux.

The service hopes to distract the youth market away from illegal file sharing. The UK head of Orange’s Pay As You Go, Pippa Dunn, told the Guardian: “We wanted to find a legal way for them to get free music but ensure that the artists get paid for their work.”

The service, Orange Monkey, will also be backed by Channel 4 as the company prepares to re-launch the 4Music brand this fall.  Users will be able to dial 247 in order to listen to playlists compiled by 4Music to be streamed over the phone connection.  The 16-to-24-year-olds whom Orange hopes will be interested in this service will be able to keep their own phones with one switch to the Monkey SIM-only program.