T-Mobile and Sony Music announce the first global partnership between an operator and a music label for the distribution of a broad array of mobile music content featuring top Sony Music artists and hit titles.

The deal marks a major expansion of Sony Music’s mobile initiatives, and will dramatically enhance T-Mobile’s mobile music content offerings through a portfolio of assets from top Sony Music artists.

Though the Sony Music partnership, T-Mobile customers will be able to enjoy a wide range of Real Tones, the next generation of ringtones using original song clips, from top Sony Music artists such as Beyoncé, Lemar, Michael Jackson and Big Brovaz, as well as a comprehensive selection of polyphonic tones and wallpaper images.

T-Mobile will also offer additional Screen Styles through a partnership with Trigenix that is based on Sony Music artists, building on the success of the bundled personalisation product introduced last October. The new Screen Styles include a packaged offer of a ringtone, wallpaper, themed menu and links to additional complementary music content. The partnership includes plans to launch a number of other exciting mobile products and services later on in the year.

Mobile music content from Sony Music artists will initially be available in the USA, the UK and the Netherlands. Launches in T-Mobile’s other European markets, including Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, are expected over the coming months. A particular focus of the partnership will be the development of customized mobile assets designed for distribution across the T-Mobile Network in conjunction with major new Sony Music artist releases.

Nikesh Arora, Chief Marketing Officer, T-Mobile International: "T-Mobile are the first to market globally with the top artists’ music for its customers. This partnership with Sony Music places T-Mobile at the cutting-edge of mobile music content. It will give our customers access to ringtones and downloads from some of the world’s biggest music stars."

T-Mobile’s Screen Styles are available on the Nokia 7650, Nokia 3650, Nokia 6600 and Siemens SX-1. Real Tones are available on several handsets, including the Motorola V300, Nokia 7650, and Nokia 3650. Pricing is £4 per Real Tone and £6 per Screen Style in the UK; and 1.89 Euros per Real Tone and 2,50 Euros per Screen Style in the Netherlands. Caller Tunes are available on all handsets. Pricing is £1,50 per Caller Tunes, in addition to the £1 monthly fee.

"With this global launch, Sony Music and T-Mobile have joined forces to create a powerful and compelling new mobile music offering for T-Mobile customers", remarked Thomas Gewecke, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Sony Music Digital Services. "T-Mobile’s global network will bring our artists’ music to fans around the world 24/7 and, through our Real Tones and other content, enable them to customize their handsets with the next generation of mobile sound."