Napster Takes to the Air in Japan

By Digital Trends Staff April 23, 2007

Let the tunes begin.

Music pioneer Napster is launching a new over-the-air music download service in Japan, the company announced today.

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Customers of NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest wireless carrier, will be able to use the service to download full-length songs to soon-to-be-released mobile devices, dubbed the 904i series—the new phones will also feature a Wii-like motion sensor for games. The mobile devices are compatible with DoCoMo’s iMode service.

The new tunes offering marks Napster’s first deployment of its over-the-air music subscription service and will be marketed through Napster Japan, a joint venture of the company and Tower Records Japan with NTT DoCoMo, according to the company. Napster launched Japanese operations last October. Customers will have the option of being billed separately for Napster service, or having Napster charges integrated into their NTT DoCoMo mobile bill.

"Launching our music subscription product on a wireless platform is a landmark for Napster and we are honored to be delivering this cutting edge innovation with DoCoMo, one of the world’s largest and most innovative wireless carriers," said Chris Gorog, chairman & CEO of Napster said in a statement.

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