James Delahunty
15 Nov 2004 21:12
The first vending machines that will allow people to download music to their mobile phones or MP3 players will be unveiled later this week. Inspired Broadcast Networks will be adding machines to two London railway stations next month. It is expected to cost about £1 per track and initially is expected to offer 2 million songs, adding about 300 more daily. These machines are expected to appear everywhere from the streets to pubs all over the UK soon. Inspired Broadcast Networks already has 12,000 entertainment terminals in pubs and betting shops linked to a global jukebox of 2.1 million songs.
"All you need is a mobile phone or an MP3 player and a coin in your pocket. You select the track you want and, depending on what type of device you have, it will either download using a wireless connection, or you can plug it in directly," said the company’s CEO, Norman Crowley. Negotiations are still ongoing with record labels for the rights to sell the music. An agreement also has not been reached with Apple over possible support for the iPod music player yet.
Source:
Telegraph.co.uk