Cocker has relationships with the record labels content aggregators and music publishers and also has a marketing role to identify strategic marketing opportunities within mobile music.

Mobile News
What are the biggest challenges you face at the moment?

Matt Cocker
The challenge is technology. The mobile industry is trying to move too quickly to produce an offering that is customer friendly. Mobile phone compatibility is an issue here.
Record labels have always been slow to adopt new ways of selling content. What is their view of mobile music?

The record labels still remember about what happened with music on the Internet and how they got burned. They are being much more proactive this time. They view it as the future of their digital business. We are the next distribution channel for them there is a great deal of co-operation now.

If the music industry is on message what about consumers are they ready yet?
We are still reaching out to the early adopters who are really the ones looking to put content on their phones. As the technology to do this becomes more widely available take-up will filter down to other segments.
It´s still a niche market though.

How will you bring music services within reach of mainstream punters?

The demand for these sorts of services has been demonstrated and its potentially huge. The market for ringtones is an illustration of this. Revenues in the UK have reached £140 million this year already.
We´ve seen an increase in customers buying music videos. We see that as a step into real music retailing. But mobile has much more to offer the music industry. We´ve started up NME Mobile so customers can find out about new music. We´ve developed community services so that fans can get together to chat.
One of the biggest initiatives is mobile ticketing. We´ve had experience with Live 8 last summer and we are offering the service this year for the O2 Wireless Festival. So far we´ve sold £150000 worth of wireless tickets. It´s all about using the phone in a whole range of ways based around music.
The volume of ticket sales surpassed our expectations. Live 8 gave us an idea of how useful the service could be in handling such large volumes but we were still surprised. We will also be offering content from the festival to download over O2 Active 24 hours after the event.

Mobile phone users are certainly into participation. What other interactivity have you thought about?

One is O2 Undiscovered a nationwide search for unsigned talent. The prize was a bursary to nurture talent rather than going for success in the X Factor model. The winner Emma Rohan has been given studio time and has had advice from professionals in the music business and she´s going to release a single with Polydor which will be distributed online. It was very successful we had more than 10000 demos.
Where do you think it will end up?

The way it´s going customers will soon be able to buy music using a range of devices from the store of their choice. They will be able to play the track how they want. They won´t have to worry about the format whether it´s PC or mobile.

Is this happening anywhere already?

Asian consumers get a wider experience. If a user searches for an artist services will bring in the latest review of the artist´s latest single or the latest community site comment entry. They can buy a ticket to their next gig or download a track.
We have to offer a richer customer experience. These issues should be debated so that all the interested sectors can get their ideas together.
London Calling is at Earl´s Court in
London on June 29-30

Users can buy CDs DVDs gadgets and magazine subscriptions by sending SMS codes. Items are delivered to the address saved in a user´s PayPal account.
"PayPal It is an established financial services brand with a reputation for safety security and convenience."
PayPal accounts are PIN-protected. Financial information is not shared with the recipient and users´ accounts remain secure in the event of phone theft.

The UK and Hong Kong have a penetration rate of 110 per cent while Italy and Israel have mobile penetration of over 120 per cent.
This reflects a trend for many users to buy a second or third subscription. However an Informa spokeswoman added: "We are tracking subscriptions not subscribers so the penetration rates in some small countries are inflated by tourists or migrant workers buying SIM cards."
Informa forecasts that 40 nations will enjoy mobile penetration higher 100 per cent by the end of the year with Russia expected to join the list.

"Thanks to our strong relationship with RIM we are pleased to bring this all-in-one handset to our customers first" said O2 head of SME marketing Peter Rampling. "We are confident the enhanced features of this all-in-one handset will appeal to both business and individual users."
The handset is a converged device offering phone push e-mail and data. It comes with a SureType keyboard that combines a traditional phone keypad with a QWERTY keyboard.
RIM EMEA vice-president Charmaine Eggberry claimed the new handset would deliver a "sleek and stylish" BlackBerry experience.

T-Mobile UK marketing director Phil Chapman said: "The show continues to build our commitment to music working with Channel 4 in a way that will engage existing and potential mobile customers as well as offering them exclusive access and content from each programme."
The programme which kicked off last Friday will feature four music acts each week in 10 different locations. It will also feature highlights from Street Gigs T-Mobile´s own series of music events.
"Street Gigs have been a huge hit with our customers and we are looking forward to capturing the energy of each gig and sharing it with a wider audience" added Chapman.
The audience will be made up of T-Mobile customers who register on a dedicated web site for tickets.

Footage of gangs in action will be shown by Royston Ford an insurance investigator with Cunningham Lindsey Marine.
Ford will also explain how VAT fraud leads to violent mobile phone robbery the implications of VAT fraud for honest traders and the evolution of VAT fraud.
He is the latest addition to a line-up of speakers that includes detective inspector Kenny McDonald (National Mobile Phone Crime Unit) Jonathan Clark MBE (Forensic Telecommunications Services) Jack Wraith (Telecommunications UK Fraud Forum) Paul Overton (Trusted Management) and Steve Gold (IT security writer).
For full agenda see mobilenewsconferences.co.uk or the ad on page 45. For bookings contact Nicky Croke on 0207 324 3500; e-mail nicky@mobilenewscwp.co.uk.

According to the report first- and second-hand experience of mobile phone crime is highest among five- to 20-year-olds. Aside from theft 27 per cent have been or know victims of muggings and 22 per cent have been or are associated with victims of bullying via mobile phone.
The findings support those by Halifax Home Insurance last month which claimed that on average one mobile phone is stolen every 12 seconds in the UK alone.

Khan had been charged with three counts of arson and threats to kill. Khan´s solicitors Imran Khan & Partners claimed that the three fires which occurred at the premises of a former business associate of Nasir Khan´s in east London in 2003 were insurance jobs by the claimant.
The case had been ongoing for two years.
Nasir Khan said: "People were quick to make judgements but they should have looked at the facts which show that I am innocent."
Ahmet Ratip solicitor at Imran Khan & Partners said: "The case was withdrawn because of a complete lack of evidence. Mr Khan has always vigorously contested the accusations. There was a complete failure by the prosecution and the police to produce evidence against Mr Khan. It was an idle prosecution from day one."

Alternative Networks James Murray CEO commented: "Results have been very strong. Our turnover is up 43 per cent. It is our 12th profitable year and mobile represents about half of our turnover."
The acquisition of mobile service provider Integrated Communications for Business (ICB) has contributed to the profits. Alternative Networks chief financial officer Edward Spurrier commented: "ICB is based in Reading and when we bought it had a £40 billion turnover. In the past year we´ve been busy integrating it into Alternative Networks. Of the 66 per cent underlying operating profits growth over a third has been organic."
Murray added: "Next steps involve moving towards a more converged phone system including fixed-line mobile and VoIP. We also hope to make acquisitions in fixed-line or mobile to ensure continued profitability and growth."
Alternative Networks has doubled its corporate mobile subscribers to 37589 compared with last year´s figure of 17518 while churn has been reduced to 16 per cent from 24 per cent.

Anuj Khanna marketing manager at mobile software company Netsize was elected last week as MDA director of mobile media. He is joined by Ed Williams of T-Mobile as MDA public sector director and Mike Hawkes of mobile billing company 2ergo as MDA director of mobile payment mechanisms.
"Data revenues represent more than 20 per cent of most network operator revenues" said MDA chairman Mike Short. "More than 32 billion text messages were sent in 2005 across the UK. Consumers have led this growth but there is still a lot of untapped opportunity for mobilising the enterprise and public sectors."