Sprint and Sony confirm they will offer streaming music in addition to "real songs"

[AnthroMatt]

Groundbreaking Alliance Will Deliver Industry's First Ringers From Actual
Songs

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., and NEW YORK, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint and Sony
Music Entertainment (SME) have signed an agreement that will move wireless
entertainment to the next level. Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS), which operates the
largest all-digital, all-PCS nationwide network and SME, one of the world's
leading music companies, will soon offer a wide variety of downloadable
ringers created by the Sony Music Mobile Products Group, including animated
polyphonic tones, actual clips from songs and specialized sound and voice
recordings, available to PCS Vision(SM) customers nationwide.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO )
Sprint currently offers several hundred polyphonic ringers in categories
that include urban, rock, pop, country, TV/movie themes, animated ringers and
voice ringers in both English and Spanish. The new agreement with SME expands
this catalog with differentiated content, available on select Java-enabled PCS
Vision Phones, that includes:

-- Song Ringers: SME and Sprint will launch the first service through a
U.S. carrier offering ringers of licensed clips from the actual
recorded song.
-- Animated Ringers: Polyphonic ringers synchronized with animated
graphics.
-- Artist Applications: J2ME applications based on multimedia content
from recording artists.

Ringers and J2ME applications from Sony Music artists can be found on the
Music Channel on select PCS Vision Phones. As part of the agreement, select
SME content and artists will receive exclusive "top of deck" positioning
within the Sprint PCS Music Channel.
"The instant, 'always-with-you' nature of PCS Vision Phones makes it the
fastest and easiest way for Sprint and Sony Music Entertainment to reach music
fans with some of the most exciting new entertainment and personalization
options for mobile phone users available," said Chip Novick, vice president of
consumer marketing for the PCS Division of Sprint. "The new content enables
Sony Music Entertainment to effectively promote their artists and enables
Sprint to build its library of unique and differentiated music content that
our customers crave."
"We know that mobile phone users want as many personalization
opportunities as possible, and with Sprint we can provide them with a wide
variety of new and exciting choices," said Thomas Gewecke, Senior Vice
President, Sony Music Digital Services. "The Sony Music Mobile Products Group
is committed to bringing compelling and innovative mobile entertainment to the
music fan, and these new offerings serve as a dramatic example of this focus
on quality and leadership in mobile content. Of particular importance, by
making ringers based on actual song recordings available for the first time
through a major US carrier, we have an opportunity to enable an entirely new
dimension of mobile music experience for our customers."
PCS Vision from Sprint includes services that allow customers to take and
receive pictures from select PCS Phones; browse the Internet at speeds faster
than most dial-up connections; check personal and corporate e-mail; watch
clips and stream audio for news and music; download polyphonic, animated and
voice ringers, and full-color, graphically-rich games and screen savers, all
on the enhanced Nationwide PCS Network.
The PCS Vision Premium Pack is available for $15 a month. This includes
unlimited access to the PCS Vision Web, unlimited text messaging and $10 per
month in premium applications such as games, ringers and screensavers.