Streaming services such as Spotify who are trying to determine where they can make the most money from their service are seeing a higher demand for “multi-platform” access, which includes smartphones, for which they can charge a paid “premium” rate, as opposed to the free access “freemium” rate.
“Take multi-platform access, such as how Spotify makes users who want mobile access via their smartphone apps pay. Kumaran said users paying for multi-platform access use the service on average three times more than as those who don’t.”
@Web 2.0 Expo: Web Community Discusses Freemium Model
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3ia9f1b586d315106411f76cc7380b4e67
Billboard Magazine reported that the InStat Group estimates there will be over one-half billion web-enabled CE devices in operation worldwide by 2013. (Billboard Magazine, Jan 20-10)
Nielsen reports that smart phone sales will overtake older-generation ‘feature phones’ by end of next year. (Globe and Mail, March 29-10)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/us-headed-for-smart-phone-boom/article1516130/
The days of the dominance of the desktop computer are numbered. “But meantime, sales of smartphones – part of a telecoms economy very different from the PC Web – are set to outpace sales of desktop computers by 2012, IT research firm Gartner said this week. Some believe it could be as early as this year.” (Reuters, March 12-10)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKLDE6291AB20100311?type=companyNews&symbol=AMZN.O
The MUSIC and New Digital Media REPORT 