Aspiro Music and Platekompaniet Launches Streaming Service Today - Receives Solid Praise From Test Users

OSLO, Norway, February 19, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aspiro and Platekompaniet in cooperation with Telenor today launches its music streaming service at the "by: Larm" festival in Oslo. Results from a user survey reveals overwhelmingly positive response from test users; 94 percent are satisfied with the service and 80 percent are willing to pay.

At "by: Larm" today, the details surrounding the launch will be presented. WiMP has streaming deals with over 20 content providers for over 6.5 million songs, including the four major record companies and a number of smaller independent partners; Universal Music, Sony Music, EMI, Warner Music, Phonofile, Arts Pages, IODA, The Orchard, Beggars Group, Naxos, Vidzone and more, spanning from international hits, pop, rock, jazz and hip hop to classical music and traditional music. The music library will continue to increase as new partners join.

The music service let users gain full, legal access to millions of songs through the Internet from their PC or mobile phone, easily search for and discover new music, create playlists, favourites, and recommendations. An editorial crew categorizes music, publishes playlists and recommends new and old releases - with a special focus on local music.

"WiMP in Norway will be a service for Norwegian users", said Rolf Kristian Presthus in Platekompaniet. "Small and large events in the Norwegian music scene will be reflected in the service. We are also focused on that artists, copyright holders and record companies get paid for their music. Only then can a service like WiMP survive over time. WiMP is organized as a subscription service with a payment model ensuring this."

According to a recent user survey of beta testers, a remarkable 94 percent were satisfied with the service. The survey, carried out by Ipsos Norway, is based on interviews with more than 1500 beta testers and the results showed that:

    - 94% of users were satisfied with the service
    - 92% would recommend it to others
    - 80% of those who took stand prefer the service over options
    - 80% would pay for the service

- For Aspiro we see the test results as further proof that we have developed a service that international distribution partners can rely on and be proud of, concludes Gunnar Sellaeg, CEO of Aspiro.

* Survey conducted with 1509 respondents from approximately 5000 beta users of the service. 87% men, 71% 20-40 years old.

Contact: Kristin Breivik Eldnes, Head of Corporate Communication and IR Aspiro, [email protected], +47-90807389 and Gunnar Sellaeg, CEO Aspiro, [email protected], +47-901-81-528

SOURCE Aspiro Music