Air2Web Inks Mobile Music Distribution Deal With The Orchard
Air2Web has announced an outsourcing agreement with The Orchard, the world’s leading digital distributor and marketer of independent music. The agreement provides The Orchard with digital music delivery to mobile devices globally, creating the farthest-reaching service of its kind.
With a catalogue of more than one million tracks spanning 73 countries and every genre of music, The Orchard is a leading supplier of digital music to online music retailers and mobile operators. Partnering with Air2Web will provide The Orchard with the opportunity to further expand its services in the mobile marketplace, where, according to the leading analyst firm M:Metrics, 3 million people in the United States download music over their cell phones at least once a month.
Air2Web’s connectivity spans over 500 carriers in 170 countries. This global footprint makes it easy for companies like The Orchard to connect with mobile subscribers the world over.
This new mobile service will launch this November, initially offering ringtones from the Orchard’s library, which includes content from Masta Killa, MF Doom, Tone Loc, Brand New Heavies, Black Sheep, Ministry, Jerky Boys, Lewis Black, Roger Sanchez, and other Orchard-distributed artists. Users will be able to request the ringtones by texting specific shortcodes. They will then receive a confirmation message via SMS that they must acknowledge before receiving the ringtone. This double opt–in system will ensure compliance with carrier and Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) standards.
While 200 ringtones will be available initially under this agreement, The Orchard plans to expand its offerings through Air2Web to include its full catalogue of music tracks, ringtones, and mastertones. In addition, the Orchard plans to widen the geographic scope of the deal, beginning with the U.S. and eventually including the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Sweden, Mexico, and China. The Orchard’s delivery of ringtone content to Air2Web is enabled by Faspay Technologies, a global provider of mobile content management systems.
