The WiMP way to wiping out the illegal download market

This music streaming service is the result of a partnership between Aspiro, Platekompaniet and Telenor, and gives users access to a vast collection of music that they can simply rent. Telenor believes that by creating viable, affordable and legal alternatives for obtaining media, the market for illegal downloads will naturally decline.

Changing the music market

“Over the past few years the music market has started to change and users have discovered the benefits of renting music rather than owning it. Market research and industry trends indicate this is how the market will develop going forward,” said Marit Aarø, Business Manager for WiMP, Telenor Norway. “We are aware that illegal downloading is a huge problem for people in the content industry, which is why it is important that Telenor provides consumers with good, legal services.”

TrendMaze, a music industry analysis firm, and the Royal Institute of Technology recently conducted a study of the Swedish music industry. They discovered that over the past year there has been upward momentum in the record industry, following eight years of declining revenues for recorded music. In 2009 alone, Swedish music industry revenues increased by 80 per cent, due in part to high adoption rates of music streaming services.

“WiMP is a business model that satisfies both subscribers and the record industry,” said Aarø.

What WiMP does for you

WiMP has been deemed a success in Norway, with nearly 70 per cent of users subscribing after the free one-month trial. The service is currently available to Norwegian and Danish customers on their PCs, Macs and Android phones, plus iPhones in Norway, and gives users access to one of the world’s largest music libraries.

“Telenor has made a strategic decision that we want to aggregate the most attractive, legal content for our end users, and we want to make it easy for them,” said Aarø. “Users can access WiMP from their computers, their mobile phones, and we are even looking into integrating it on TVs.”

What’s next for WiMP?

“We hope that WiMP spreads to other countries where Telenor operates, because renting music is not only a Norwegian trend,” said Aarø. “WiMP is a success because it offers consumers a convenient, affordable and enjoyable music experience and it keeps the music industry happy. WiMP is a win-win.”