Metric: Users spent $251M on mobile music in 2005

According to a recent study by ABI Research, worldwide mobile music revenue reached $251 million in 2005, way up from $12.4 million in 2004. The metric included music tracks, ringtones and ringback tones. ABI also predicted that the global market for mobile music should hit $9.3 billion by 2011. Over-the-air downloads will be more successful overseas, particularly in Asia, because there is a lower rate of music downloads through PCs there over other regions. An interesting caveat to the prediction by ABI is that DRM software must allow users to move tracks easily between devices. Other prerequisites for the market succeeding include 3G networks, agreements between carriers and record labels, a robust billing system that ensures users pay, and sufficient memory on the handsets.

For more on ABI's study of worldwide mobile music spending:
- take a look at this article from TechWeb