From Ring Tones To Bling Tones
Modu, Universal Music Group Announce Customizable Phone

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Ad Age Songs For Soap on 02.08.08 @ 03:05 PM

Start-up mobile company Modu unveiled a new phone today that will allow people to personalize it by sliding a "Jacket" over the body. Simultaneously, the handset maker confirmed a partnership with Universal Music Group to create artist-specific jackets, which will be designed/inspired by the musicians and include pre-loaded content and even music subscription offerings.

This could be a very smart move, as it takes the record label right into the heart of iPhone territory and also gives fans a way of getting an added value service and product that creates greater affinity with the artists.

The Modu phone is the brainchild of Dov Moran, who made his name as a pioneer of USB flash drive technology through his company M-Systems, which was sold to SanDisk in 2006 for $1.6 billion. SanDisk are backing this new company, which is promising to deliver big revenues and an innovation that allows consumers to cheaply transform phones into anything from a messaging device, a music player or a hand-held gaming console.