Davey Winder
Tuesday, 01 July 2008 17:04
Your IT -
Mobility
Page 1 of 2
Can MySpace and Vodafone produce a mobile user-generated creative platform for music fans across Europe? They reckon the arrival of the Vodafone Music Reporter proves the point...
It would
appear that
Vodafone has cut a deal with MySpace to provide a new European mobile
music service. Available to music fans in Germany, Italy, Spain and the
UK to start with, the
Vodafone Music Reporter is being described as
an "online global interactive platform."
Cutting through the marketing jargon, I think
what they mean is that it's a place where you share photos, videos and
commentary on Vodafone Music Unlimited events. It is attempting to
bring the feel of citizen journalism into the music world via your
mobile phone.
Indeed, wannabe music journos can showcase their talents during the
launch phase and stand a chance of being featured in a special MTV show
which will be broadcast both online and via mobile handsets.
With the music festival season well and truly kicking off in Europe,
the Vodafone and MySpace timing could not be better. There are tens of
thousands of fans attending events such as Glastonbury. The vast
majority of them armed with an attitude and a mobile phone.
In fact, the power of the mobile phone as a music news reporting tool
was demonstrated at Glastonbury during the Amy Winehouse gig. She
appeared to throw a punch at a member of the audience, and it made the
news headlines across the UK.
The 'victim' managed to film the event on his mobile, and the footage
was shown on television news last night. It appears to suggest, along
with his own testimony, that the punch was a reaction to something
being thrown from the crowd. The 'victim' does not intend to press
charges.
Imagine, however, if that footage had hit the Vodafone Music Reporter
pages before the broadcast and tabloid media had started their own, to
be expected, reporting. The story would have been no less sensational,
but a whole lot less speculative.
What do Lily Allen and the Arctic Monkeys have to do with all this? Find out on the next page...
CONTINUED
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