US carrier AT&T has partnered with eMusic, which claims to be the worlds largest retailer of independent music, for the launch of eMusic Mobile, an over-the-air music download service. The eMusic Mobile over-the-air (OTA) service will give AT&Ts customers the ability to preview and buy music via their wireless devices from a catalogue of 2.7 million songs, the largest wireless music catalogue in the US.
The service is part of the AT&T Mobile Music platform, which the company says provides customers with more music choices than any other wireless carrier.
Songs bought from eMusic Mobile are immediately sent to the users wireless handset, and a duplicate copy is available for download to the users PC at no charge. eMusic Mobile can also be used for music discovery. When users are on
the go and hear a song on the radio or in a store, and want to hear it
again, they can preview the track before purchase. AT&T customers can subscribe to download five tracks a month for $7.49 (3.70), and additional packages of five songs are available for the same price whenever desired.
eMusic Mobile is not your typical over-the-air service, says Mark Collins, Vice President of Consumer Data Services for AT&Ts Wireless Unit. This service, which is as unique as the independent artists found in the eMusic catalogue, differentiates itself from the competition through its ease of use, subscription pricing model and the ability to play these tracks in any MP3 player.
eMusic President and CEO David Pakman says the service will expand the audience for mobile music beyond the youth market by offering an alternative to the mainstream pop hits that have so far dominated over-the-air music.
AT&T is a terrific partner for this service says Pakman, and we look forward to offering AT&Ts more than 63.7 million subscribers access to a rich catalogue that ranges from legends like Paul McCartney and Miles Davis to new independent stars such as Spoon and Arcade Fire.
eMusic Mobile will be initially available on some of AT&Ts most robust music devices, with many to be added in the future. Users of the Samsung a717, a727, new versions of the popular Samsung SYNC and the Nokia N75 will be able to access the eMusic wireless store by clicking on the Music Note key, choosing the Shop Music option and then selecting eMusic.
Customers can access the eMusic wireless site in just three clicks from compatible handsets and do not have to subscribe to the service to preview songs, though AT&T strongly recommends an unlimited data plan before previewing tracks.
The eMusic service complements AT&Ts existing mobile music offerings, which include the ability to transfer songs from a PC to a wireless handset from popular music subscription services such as Napster. AT&T was also the first and only US carrier to offer a phone with iTunes capability in 2005 and launched the Apple iPhone in June of this year. 
