MediaUnbound to Deliver Recommendations for Japanese Mobile Music Service

Mobile Users to Receive Quality Music Recommendations Directly on their Phones, Based on their Individual Music Preferences

CAMBRIDGE, MA (PRWeb) January 29, 2007 -- MediaUnbound (www.mediaunbound.com), a provider of music recommendation and personalization technology, announced today that Napster Japan has licensed its technology for a mobile music service on NTT DoCoMo’s iMode platform. Now, over 40 million DoCoMo mobile subscribers will have high-quality music and ringtone recommendations delivered directly to their phones for immediate over-the-air (OTA) downloading and listening.

The mobile deal represents an expansion of MediaUnbound’s existing licensing arrangement to provide personalized music recommendations for the Napster Japan PC service, Japan’s first PC-based music subscription service, which launched on October 3, 2006.

Music preferences can vary greatly by country and region. For example, our research shows that context and musicians' background play a much more important role in driving preference for consumers in Japan than in America

"MediaUnbound's recommendations are essential for our mobile music strategy," explained Paul Greenberg, COO for Napster Japan. "Given the smaller size of mobile screens, MediaUnbound’s targeted recommendations allow our subscribers to quickly find and discover music."

MediaUnbound’s technology fuses human music experts with computer technology to create compelling yet accurate recommendations. Unlike other services which only offer generic recommendations, MediaUnbound provides results tailored to geographical region and the individual listener. The company’s recently opened Osaka branch, staffed by a team of Japanese music analysts, was instrumental in infusing recommendation results with knowledge of both local music and the way Japanese listeners approach music.

“Music preferences can vary greatly by country and region. For example, our research shows that context and musicians' background play a much more important role in driving preference for consumers in Japan than in America,” stated MediaUnbound CEO Michael Papish. “Our flexible, hybrid approach to recommendations allows us to capture these differences and create a truly personalized listening experience.”

About

MediaUnbound is a business-to-business technology company that creates exciting and engaging musical experiences. Utilizing a hybrid approach which combines the numerical power of computers with the musical passion of humans, MediaUnbound technology helps listeners find, discover and interact with large catalogs of diverse music. The company has more than 6 years of experience powering personalization and recommendation services for the world's largest digital music services. High quality and interesting recommendations allow music businesses to differentiate their services, attract new users and build long-term trusting relationships with their listeners while generating additional sales. MediaUnbound was founded in 2000 and is a privately-held company headquartered in Cambridge, MA with offices in Germany and Japan. www.mediaunbound.com

CONTACT:
Andrea Nieto

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