/ 02.22.2011 12:00AM
Mobile Music Revenues to Reach $5.5 billion by 2015
Hampshire, U.K.: Mobile DTVizens take note: mobile music is
expected to generate annual revenues of $5.5 billion in four years’ time. So
say the folks at Juniper Research. The figure compares to $3.1 billion in 2010.
Juniper notes the happy implications for digital music, “which is propping up a
failing industry hit by over a decade of widespread online piracy.”
“Initially, PC downloading and sideloading to MP3 players was the only way to
go; but the development of mobile devices has now reached the point where they
match the technical specs of dedicated MP3 players,” Juniper’s Daniel Ashdown
said. “Add in connectivity--just one click to buy and download--along with all
the other smartphone features, and there is no competition between the two.
This is why sales of Apple’s iPhone are going to outstrip its iPod in the not
too distant future.”
However, Juniper says piracy still remains a significant threat--both online
and on the mobile. Juniper Research finds P2P file sharing migrating to mobile
platforms, with BitTorrent applications now available on Android Market, for
example. Juniper is recommending anti-piracy legislation be extended to mobile
networks, particularly with the rollout of 4G.