M:Metrics: UK Leads in Mobile Music Consumption, While Americans Top the Charts

Three percent of UK subscribers report listening to mobile music and 10.4 percent of Americans downloaded a ringtone

SEATTLE - M:Metrics, the mobile market authority today released its findings on the audience for mobile music in the U.S. and Western Europe. The measurement firm found that the UK boasts the highest percentage of mobile subscribers who used their mobile device as a music player in the month of July. At three percent, the volume of British mobile music consumers is higher than the Spanish (2.8 percent), U.S. (0.7 percent), French (0.6 percent) and German (1.4 percent) audiences.

Mobile Music Consumption: Percentage of Subscriber Base: July 2006

	Germany	France	Spain	UK	US

Used Phone as Music Player	1.4%	0.6%	2.8%	3.0%	0.7%

Listened to Side-Loaded Music	1.1%	0.4%	1.5%	1.3%	0.4%

Listened to Downloaded Music	0.4%	0.2%	1.7%	2.0%	0.3%

Downloaded Music	0.3%	0.2%	1.3%	1.5%	0.2%

"A significant barrier to mobile music consumption is the dearth of devices that support the activity," said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst, M:Metrics. "We are, however, seeing an influx of music-friendly devices on the market, with removable storage and better interfaces for accessing songs, as well as consumer education by the operators, all of which will foster growth in the sector."

Top 3 Mobile Music Devices: July 2006

Germany	France	Spain	UK	US

Nokia 6630	Nokia 6680	Nokia 6230	Nokia N70	LG VX8100

Nokia N70	Sony Ericsson V600i	Nokia 6630	Nokia 6280	Samsung MM A900

Nokia 6680	Samsung D500	Samsung Z140	Nokia 6230i	Samsung SCH-A950

M:Metrics also reported its ringtone consumption data, which reveals that the U.S. has the healthiest market for ringtones, at 10.4 percent penetration, followed by Spain, at 8.9 percent. Germany and France with 6.6 and 6.2 percent, respectively, of subscribers reporting they downloaded a ringtone, surpass the UK's 5.4 percent. Ringbacks are also gaining popularity. Again, Spaniards have adopted this form of personalization above all others-at 9.7 percent, Spain has a sizable margin over the U.S., at 3.7 percent, as depicted in the table below.

Ringtone Consumption: Percentage of Subscriber Base: July 2006

	Germany	France	Spain	UK	US

Purchased Ringtone	6.6%	6.2%	8.9%	5.4%	10.4%

Downloaded Polyphonic Ringtone	3.1%	3.0%	4.5%	2.2%	4.8%

Downloaded Mastertone	3.1%	2.8%	3.7%	2.9%	5.1%

Ordered via Mobile Browser	3.7%	3.8%	4.6%	3.7%	9.3%

Ordered via Short Code	1.8%	2.3%	5.1%	1.3%	1.1%

Ordered on PC	2.0%	1.2%	1.6%	1.3%	2.7%

Subscribed to Ringback Service	1.3%	2.3%	9.7%	0.7%	3.7%

M:Metrics data negates the presumption that the popularity of MP3 players or a rumoured "iPhone" would threaten the market for mobile music. MP3 owners-particularly Apple iPod owners-are as much as two times more likely to consume music related content than are other mobile subscribers.

"The ringtone market is experiencing a significant shift," said Paul Goode, senior analyst, Europe, for M:Metrics. "As mastertones supersede polyphonic tones, and short codes gain steam as a merchandising vehicle, the economics of the business will have to change. The availability of tools to make user-created ringtones more accessible to the masses poses an even greater threat to companies who can offer no additional value to a consumer who buys a ringtone in lieu of making one themselves."

French Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: July 2006

Activity	Subscribers (000s)	Percent	Percent Change

Sent Text Message	29,560	69.6%	0.6%

Used Photo Messaging	8,380	19.7%	4.1%

Browsed News and Information	3,758	8.8%	5.1%

Purchased Ringtone	2,615	6.2%	2.7%

Used Personal E-Mail	2,521	5.9%	-1.8%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger	1,262	3.0%	0.0%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver	1,115	2.6%	-6.5%

Used Work E-Mail	861	2.0%	-1.6%

Downloaded Mobile Game	491	1.2%	-3.0%

German Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: July 2006

Activity	Subscribers (000s)	Percent	Percent Change

Sent Text Message	35,489	79.8%	-0.2%

Used Photo Messaging	8,967	20.1%	3.8%

Purchased Ringtone	2,936	6.6%	2.2%

Used Personal E-Mail	2,559	5.8%	-7.4%

Browsed News and Information	1,705	3.8%	-4.2%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger	1,526	3.4%	-3.1%

Used Work E-Mail	1,280	2.9%	-10.9%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver	1,260	2.8%	2.0%

Downloaded Mobile Game	1,168	2.6%	4.9%

Spanish Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: July 2006

Activity	Subscribers (000s)	Percent	Percent Change

Sent Text Message	24,980	83.3%	0.1%

Used Photo Messaging	8,026	26.8%	1.8%

Purchased Ringtone	2,666	8.9%	10.8%

Used Personal E-Mail	2,656	8.9%	-7.5%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger	2,153	7.2%	-2.4%

Browsed News and Information	2,150	7.2%	7.5%

Used Work E-Mail	1,565	5.2%	-10.5%

Downloaded Mobile Game	1,374	4.6%	1.6%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver	1,158	3.9%	-6.7%

U.K. Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: July 2006

Activity	Subscribers (000s)	Percent	Percent Change

Sent Text Message	36,240	84.3%	-0.5%

Used Photo Messaging	12,877	29.9%	1.0%

Browsed News and Information	6,229	14.5%	-3.2%

Used Personal E-Mail	2,721	6.3%	-4.4%

Purchased Ringtone	2,343	5.4%	-4.2%

Downloaded Mobile Game	1,737	4.0%	-6.8%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger	1,585	3.7%	-9.0%

Used Work E-Mail	1,298	3.0%	-5.6%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver	945	2.2%	-2.1%

U.S. Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications
M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: July 2006

Activity	Subscribers (000s)	Percent	Percent Change

Sent Text Message	70,864	37.3%	1.0%

Used Photo Messaging	26,070	13.7%	7.2%

Browsed News and Information	20,709	10.9%	6.1%

Purchased Ringtone	19,721	10.4%	3.3%

Used Personal E-Mail	15,344	8.1%	5.7%

Used Mobile Instant Messenger	13,031	6.9%	2.7%

Used Work E-Mail	8,917	4.7%	4.9%

Purchased Wallpaper or Screensaver	6,607	3.5%	1.8%

Downloaded Mobile Game	5,670	3.0%	13.5%