Sony Music and Aspiro in agreement regarding copyrights

Aspiro, that runs the mobile music site Mobilehits, and Sony Music Nordic have signed an agreement which solves the issue regarding copyrights. The cooperation, which is the first in its kind in this line of business, implies that Aspiro will be able to increase its offering of music related services. It also creates opportunities for more advanced services in the future, e.g. mobile digital music. Aspiro is presently having similar negotiations with other record companies.

Mobilehits, that was nominated as best entertainment site in Sweden 2001, is a digital distribution channel of music related content, via Internet and mobile telecom operators, for example Vodafone Live! and 3. The company supplies mobile services in close cooperation with the music industry. Mobilehits was acquired by Aspiro AB in July this year. Aspiro sees it as important that a regulatory framework regarding copyrights is settled with composers and artists also within the digital channel. The cooperation between Aspiro and Sony Music is pioneering. Aspiro will compensate Sony Music for the right to use famous artists in connection to the sales of mobile ring tones and also, within short, digital music such as mastertones. In return this intensified cooperation will give Aspiro access to campaign material such as the latest pictures and interviews with great artists, e.g. Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce. ”We are very pleased with this agreement, as it gives our customers increased access to exciting information regarding their favorite artists”, says Håkan Persson, CEO at Aspiro. ”We will offer the same agreement to all record companies, in order to once and for all solve the issue regarding copy rights.” ”For us, this is an important step forward, partly because it regulates the copyright issue and partly because it creates new opportunities for us to market our artists digitally”, says Per Sundin, CEO at Sony Music Nordic.