Mobile music streaming is set to become even more popular as data rates and all-you-can-eat packages increase and various web-based services find their way to the mobile Internet, so it’s no surprise that UK mobile operator Orange has teamed up with music giant Universal and Channel 4 TV to launch Monkey, a free music service for cellphone users who don’t have a monthly contract.
Aiming to be a central source of music as well as a social network for sharing playlists and portal offering music news, gossip, exclusive content and competitions, the service is targeting the 16-24 age group.
Orange claims that the service will work on any handset connected to the network. The service is supposed to be simple to operate — users are presented with a choice of eight preset playlists (such as R&B, rock, pop, chart), and it’s also possible to set up eight personalized playlists which can then be shared.
While you won’t get as much control as using an app like Last.fm or Spotify, some nice features include the ability to have the current track’s details texted to your phone, and to store it in a special favorites section on the Monkey web site.
Users have to “top up” their credit by a minimum of £10 (about $16) per month.
Originally posted on July 29, 2009 @ 8:44 am