NTT DoCoMo to Support Service with New Series of Handsets and Will Offer
Wireless Customers Integrated Billing of New Napster Service
LOS ANGELES, April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Napster (Nasdaq: NAPS)
today announced that the company will soon launch the first deployment of
its over-the-air (OTA) music subscription service through Napster Japan, a
joint venture between the company and Tower Records Japan, with NTT DoCoMo,
Japan's largest wireless carrier. The service will be the first deployment
of Napster's OTA music subscription service and will provide DoCoMo's
customers with wireless access to Napster's unlimited listening and
downloading music experience with full integration with Napster's industry
leading PC-based subscription service.
The new Napster OTA service will be available to DoCoMo's iMode
subscribers via the soon-to-be-released 904i series of handsets, as
announced today in Japan by DoCoMo. Napster's OTA music subscription
service is an extension of the company's award-winning Napster To Go PC
service, which enables unlimited downloading and transfer of tracks for one
low monthly fee to compatible portable digital music devices and cell
phones. Napster's new OTA subscription functionality will be available to
DoCoMo's customers as an extension of the Napster To Go service at no
additional cost and will be available to both new and current Napster To Go
customers.
"Launching our music subscription product on a wireless platform is a
landmark for Napster and we are honored to be delivering this cutting edge
innovation with DoCoMo, one of the world's largest and most innovative
wireless carriers," said Chris Gorog, chairman & CEO of Napster. "Napster's
mission is to provide consumers with unlimited access to the world's music
- anytime and anywhere - and we are proud to announce this latest
achievement with our joint venture partner Tower Records Japan."
In addition to receiving full-length songs directly on their mobile
handsets, when subscribers use the Napster To Go OTA service to download
songs without connecting to a PC those tracks will be "bookmarked" and
added to their PC collection. Further integrating the PC and OTA
experience, users of the Napster To Go OTA service will be able to view
Playlists available on the PC and download them directly to their handsets
over-the-air. Users of the 904i series of DoCoMo phones will also still
enjoy the option of side-loading content from the PC onto their phones, as
with any other Napster To Go compatible portable music device.
In another first, Napster will offer the ability to integrate billing
for the Napster To Go service directly into a user's NTT DoCoMo mobile
phone bill. 904i series handset users will have the option to sign up for
Napster To Go directly through their handsets and select integrated billing
at the time of registration.
For more information about Napster Japan's services visit
http://www.Napster.jp.
About Napster
Napster, the pioneer of digital music, offers the ultimate interactive
music experience. With an expanding roster of offerings including free,
Web- based music listening and sharing, subscription and portable
subscription services, and an advanced mobile music platform, Napster
creates better ways to discover, share, acquire and enjoy music -- anytime,
anywhere. Napster is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in
Frankfurt, Luxembourg, New York, San Diego, San Jose and Tokyo.
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press
release, in particular matters related to Napster's relationship with
Napster Japan and NTT DoCoMo, and the compatibility of the Napster service
with current and future mobile phones, are forward-looking statements that
are subject to certain risks and uncertainties such as decreased demand for
Napster's products and services; failure of Napster products to
interoperate with the hardware products of its customers; intense
competition; failure to maintain relationships with strategic partners and
content providers; and general economic conditions; that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected. Additional information
on these and other factors are contained in Napster's reports filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as filed with the SEC on February 8, 2007,
copies of which are available at the website maintained by the SEC at
http://www.sec.gov. Napster assumes no obligation to update the
forward-looking statements included in this press release.
Napster, Napster Mobile, Napster To Go and Napster Light are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Napster, Inc. or its subsidiaries in
the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are owned by
their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Becky Farina
Napster
(310) 281-5005
Becky.Farina@napster.com
Investor Contacts:
Alex Wellins or Jennifer Jarman
The Blueshirt Group, for Napster
(415) 217-7722
alex@blueshirtgroup.com; jennifer@blueshirtgroup.com
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SOURCE Napster
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Related links:
http://www.napster.com
http://www.Napster.jp/
CONTACT:
Media, Becky Farina of Napster,
+1-310-281-5005, Becky.Farina@napster.com; Investors, Alex
Wellins, alex@blueshirtgroup.com, or Jennifer Jarman,
jennifer@blueshirtgroup.com, both of The Blueshirt Group, for
Napster, +1-415-217-7722
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