Monika Hanson, strategic product manager entertainment solutions, says that the current focus of the industry is on streaming music as opposed to downloading tracks.

“We’ve been conducting usability surveys and we find that streaming is a very popular option among the younger 16-21 age group,” she says.

Users can stream music to their mobiles for a fixed monthly fee. This, says Hanson, usually ranges from SEK 40 to a little more than that depending on the operator.  

While the emphasis within the industry is very much on streaming, downloading remains a viable option. “In the 25-35 age segment, a lot of people still like to own the track and so will want to download the music to their mobile,” she says. 

A Swedish operator is currently in talks with STIM (Swedish organization ensuring musicians get their royalties) on the possibility of adding an extra fee to the monthly broadband subscription which will enable consumers to download and share music for free.

Meanwhile operators are always looking to spot new trends in the market place and use data from customer surveys to inform their business ideas. Providing a personalized service for users is a key priority.   

“Services need to be personalized in order to give customers better value,” Hanson says.

This involves allowing people access information on concert tickets, new releases for artists, celebrity gossip and so on.

Hanson says that this personalized approach will generate big revenue for operators because it satisfies the strong appetite among customers for a service tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

She is bullish about the current state of the mobile music industry, pointing out that more and more consumers are using the mobile phone as their main device.

“Some people use it as a compliment to their MP3 players, such as when they are traveling long distances on airplanes for example, but when they are just walking around their local area it is more convenient for them to use just one device like their mobile phone,” she says.   

Looking to the future, Hanson sees a growing market for operators working in the mobile music sector.