WMG head: Don't repeat music biz mistakes on mobile

Speaking at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau, Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. confessed the music industry deserves its share of the blame for the growth of P2P file sharing, and warned mobile operators not to make the same mistakes. "We used to think our content was perfect just exactly as it was. We expected our business would remain blissfully unaffected even as the world of interactivity, constant connection and file sharing was exploding. And of course we were wrong," Bronfman said, according to a MacUser article. "How were we wrong? By standing still or moving at a glacial pace, we inadvertently went to war with consumers by denying them what they wanted and could otherwise find and as a result of course, consumers won."

According to Bronfman, fewer than 10 percent of consumers purchase music via mobile handset--and when they do, it's almost always ringtones. "The sad truth is that most of what consumers are being offered today on the mobile platform is boring, banal and basic," he said. "People want a more interesting form of mobile music content. They want it to be easy to buy with a single click--yes, a single click, not a dozen. And they want access to it, quickly and easily, wherever they are. 24/7. Any player in the mobile value chain who thinks they can provide less than a great experience for consumers and remain competitive is fooling themselves."

Despite WMG's battles with Apple over DRM, Bronfman cited the computing giant's iTunes digital storefront as a model the mobile industry should emulate. "You need to look no further than Apple's iPhone to see how fast brilliantly written software presented on a beautifully designed device with a spectacular user interface will throw all the accepted notions about pricing, billing platforms and brand loyalty right out the window. And let me remind you, the genesis of the iPhone is the iPod and iTunes--a music device and music service that consumers love."

For more on the Bronfman speech:
- read this MacUser article

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