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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JeremyMcCracken (talk | contribs) at 18:58, 2 July 2008 (promotional language; citations needed; column the reflist; rm context concern, seems pretty thorough). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Thumbplay is a U.S.-based subscription service that allows users to download music, video and games to their cell phones. Their library is comprised of 100,000+ audio, video and game downloads, including “premium content” licensed from virtually every major media and entertainment company, as well as “indie” artists.[citation needed] Users can manage, store and share their mobile content online and on their wireless devices.

Headquartered in New York City, Thumbplay was founded in September 2004 by Are Traasdahl and Evan Schwartz. It is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, SoftBank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Meritech, Brookside Capital Partners and Cross Creek Capital.[citation needed]

Thumbplay’s Business Model

Thumbplay has a subscription-based business where consumers pay $9.99/month for access to 10 credits that can be redeemed for content in its online store. In addition, there is a free, advertising-supported community element where consumers can upload mobile photos and videos and share these among other members.[citation needed]

The Growing Mobile Entertainment Market

  • Revenue from mobile media and entertainment (MME) services in the U.S. will more than double during the next five years, according to analysts at Analysys Mason. In 2007, U.S. mobile media and entertainment services (excluding messaging, mobile browsing and data charges) generated $3.1 billion in revenue. This sector is predicted to generate $6.6 billion in revenue in 2012, at a compound annual growth rate of 16.3 percent.[1]
  • According to Nielsen RingScan, more than 220 million ringtones were purchased in the U.S. in 2007, totaling more than $567 million in sales.[2]
  • According to research firm M:Metrics, nearly 10 percent of all U,S, wireless subscribers purchased and downloaded ringtones for their mobile phones in 2007.[3]
  • Revenue from off-deck mobile entertainment content sales is expected to pass on-deck sales in North America sometime in 2008, according to analysts at Informa Telecoms & Media.[4].
  • As more users in North America subscribe to mobile data services, the money they spend on games will grow from $845 million this year to some $1.2 billion by 2011.[5]

Thumbplay’s Content & Distribution Partnerships

Thumbplay has signed licensing deals with the world’s largest media and entertainment companies during the last two years. This includes deals with major record labels: Sony BMG[6], EMI[7] and Universal Music Group[8], as well as media and entertainment companies like Sony Pictures Home Entertainment[9], Disney Interactive Media Group[10], Electronic Arts (EA), Glu Mobile, Hands-On Mobile[11], Konami Digital Entertainment, I-play, Universal Pictures[12], etc.

On the distribution side, Thumbplay has more than 300 marketing partners both online and on the mobile web. It counts the Web and mobile portals of AOL[13] and MSN Mobile[14], Web sites for Entertainment Tonight, A&E Network, The History Channel and The Biography Channel[15], as well as iLike[16] and Qloud[17], two of the Web’s social music discovery services as partners. It also announced a partnership with Clear Channel Radio, the nation’s largest radio company, to roll out customized mobile content stores across more than 650 of its local music, news and sports stations’ Web sites throughout 2008[18].

Thumbplay adheres to the Mobile Marketing Association’s Consumer Best Practices Guidelines (http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf) and has been active in developing and leading best practices for mobile advertising.[citation needed]

Awards

Thumbplay and its leadership have been recognized by both the industry and consumers alike, having won the following prestigious awards:

  • 2006 New York Ten Awards: Best New Product or Service[19]
  • 2007 New York Ten Awards: Best Emerging CEO[20]
  • 2007 Momentum 15 Company at the 2007 Momentum Growth Conference (recognizing rapid growth companies)[23]
  • 2008 OnMedia 100 (a list of the top digital media, marketing, and advertising companies, based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz)[24]
  • 2008 OnMedia Northeast Top 100 Companies List (a list of the top 100 emerging companies from the Northeastern United States that are creating new business opportunities in high-growth markets)[25]
  • Silicon Alley 25: The World’s Most Valuable Digital Startups[26]
  • 2008 Meffys Award for "Off Deck Services" (for offering mobile consumers added value for money and easy access to a wide choice of mobile entertainment)[27]
  • 2008 OnHollywood Top 100 (a list of the top 100 private digital entertainment and media companies)[28]

Consumer concerns

Thumbplay has been the target of numerous complaints that it does not immediately honour stop requests but instead continues to bill customers monthly fees after they request a cancellation, even if the customer does not continue to request any ringtones or wallpapers.[29]

Further Reading

"Marek, Sue. Getting On Deck with Off Deck, FierceWireless, 4/1/08".
"Thumbplay is certainly one success story worth noting. Thumbplay has managed to build a solid business in this space, which President and CEO Are Traasdahl attributes to its customer service commitment and wide-range of content."

"Bruno, Antony. Moving Out: A New World of Sources for Mobile Content, Billboard, 4/5/08".
"Thumbplay.com, one of the biggest off-deck content providers in the world, in the last six months has embedded its service into AOL and social music iLike among others."

"Kharif, Olga. Bypassing Carriers for Mobile Content, BusinessWeek Online, 4/14/08".
"The emergence of vendors such as Thumbplay is just the latest indication that wireless carriers are losing their grip on the industry. The field has gotten crowded in the past year with upstarts like Apple (AAPL), which gets a big slice of the monthly revenue charged by companies that carry its iPhone, and Google (GOOG), which came out with a system that makes it easier for indie developers to create and profit from tools, games, and other wireless applications."

"Alleven, Monica. Ringtones: A Ring & A Prayer, Wireless Week, 5/2008".
"Thumbplay, another direct-to-consumer play, reports growth in all areas, with games and videos being the fastest-growing segments. In July 2007, the company facilitated about 8,000 unique title downloads each week; by April of this year, that number jumped to 18,000 unique titles, which include everything from ringtones to games and wallpaper. The growth was driven both by more traffic to its Web and WAP sites, facilitated through partnerships, and through increased content in its catalog."

References and footnotes

  1. ^ "Analysys Mason, "Media and Entertainment in the U.S.: forecasts 2007-2012", April 22, 2008".
  2. ^ "Nielsen RingScan Factoids, January 3, 2008".
  3. ^ "Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content & Applications, M:Metrics Benchmark Survey: November 2007".
  4. ^ Informa Telecoms & Media, 11/15/2007
  5. ^ "Gartner, 5/14/2008".
  6. ^ "LA-Story, 2/21/08, Tech Talk: Thumbplays & Sony Team Up for Killer Song Collections!".
  7. ^ "RCR Wireless News, 1/31/07, Thumbplay inks EMI deal".
  8. ^ "Gadgetell, 4/25/06, Universal music artists on your phone".
  9. ^ "DigitalMediaWire, 10/11/06, Mobile Downloads Store Thumbplay to Sell Sony Pictures Content".
  10. ^ "DigitalMediaWire, 9/15/06, Mobile Content Retailer Thumbplay to Sell Disney Content".
  11. ^ "DigitalMediaWire, 6/22/06, Thumbplay to Distribute Mobile Game Titles from Hands-On Mobile".
  12. ^ "The Online Reporter, 11/9/07, Thumbplay Partners with Universal Pictures, I-play".
  13. ^ "Reuters, 11/22/07, Thumbplay to provide mobile content to AOL".
  14. ^ "Mobile Marketer, 12/11/07, Microsoft inks Thumbplay content deal for MSN Mobile".
  15. ^ "FierceMobileContent, 2/5/08, Thumbplay debuts DIY mobile content sales toolkit".
  16. ^ "Mashable, 12/13/07, Ringtones on iLike, Powered by Thumbplay".
  17. ^ "FierceMobileContent, 12/20/07, Thumbplay and Qloud team for ringtone service".
  18. ^ "Billboard, 3/24/08, Clear Channel To Add Thumbplay Store To Web Sites".
  19. ^ "Executive Council of New York" (PDF).
  20. ^ "Executive Council of New York".
  21. ^ "Webby Awards Nominees & Winners".
  22. ^ "Webby Awards Nominees & Winners".
  23. ^ "Dealmaker Media".
  24. ^ "AlwaysOn".
  25. ^ "AlwaysOn".
  26. ^ "Silicon Alley Insider".
  27. ^ "Mobile Entertainment Forum".
  28. ^ "AlwaysOn".
  29. ^ "Thumbplay Inc.: Cell Phone Bill Complaints". Retrieved 2008-04-25.
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