Mostly in USA

Mar 7, 2007 11:52 GMT  ·  By

FunMobility and EMI Christian Music Group (CMG) recently announced a new mobile application that will enable EMI CMG to create, promote, showcase, and distribute ringtones from their industry-leading catalog of Christian artists. EMI CMG will showcase its artists' ringtones on FunMobility's wireless network, which covers more than 95% of the 215 million U.S. subscriber base.

"Christian Music is a vibrant segment with a passionate, active customer base," said FunMobility CEO Adam Lavine. "Our integrated content and community mobile technology can help EMI CMG reach music fans in an environment that's familiar and comfortable for them, which should help grow our subscriber base while exposing EMI CMG artists to music fans on the go."

It seems that Christian music accounted for 45 million unit sales in 2006. Overall, spending on Christian goods exceeds $4.2 billion dollars in North America. Some of the most well-known Christian artists are part of the EMI CMG family including Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, Smokie Norful, tobyMac, Steven Curtis Chapman, Audio Adrenaline, Newsboys and dcTalk.

"FunMobility realized early on that Christian music fans are interested in having a richer, more engaging mobile experience," said Bill Hearn, President and CEO, EMI CMG. "Their community-focused mobile technology makes Christian Tones a unique destination and experience for Christian music fans. We look forward to continuing our work with FunMobility to promote this exciting application while showcasing our artists amazing music."

The collaboration between FunMobility and EMI CMG represents a growing trend towards mobile applications targeted at specific demographics or market segments. FunMobility has launched several successful targeted applications including RockTones, FunGirl and RetroTones, among others.