Gracenote acquires Musicphone IVR technology

Music identification solutions provider Gracenote announced its acquisition of entertainment services provider Musicphone's interactive voice response technology. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to Gracenote, the Musicphone tech acquisition enhances its Mobile Music 2.0 customizable mobile media platform and extends its customer base to include AT&T and Virgin Mobile USA--now any mobile handset may dial into the IVR service via short code, transmitting a snippet of music for identification by the Gracenote Mobile MusicID service. Gracenote responds with song and album information as well as links to purchase the track or related products, connections to the artist's fan site and artist information. The Mobile Music 2.0 platform is linked to Gracenote's global media database, which spans more than 80 million tracks. "The entertainment and wireless industries are experiencing rapid convergence and are looking for ways to integrate, monetize and deliver the best mobile media services in a simple and compelling package," said Jim Hollingsworth, Gracenote senior VP of sales and marketing. "We're integrating valuable IVR and commerce technology from Musicphone to enhance our mobile media platform and provide further ecommerce opportunities."

For more on the Gracenote/Musicphone deal:
- read this release

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