Chapter 15

Mobile Music Marketing

MUSIC GOES MOBILE

The global mobile music market is expected to rise to more than $18 billion by 2016 according to a report issued by IE Market Research Corporation in January 2012. This will be driven by subscription music services and ringback tones. The mobile music market is expected to be a boon for subscription services, unlike the PC-based network, which has seen disappointing numbers for music subscription services. Perhaps the difference is that consumers desire to own music that resides in the household, but they may be more willing to “rent” music on portable devices, much like a personal radio station.

The year 2007 was considered the tipping point for mobile music adoption (Holden, 2008). Windsor Holden, author of the Juniper report stated, “far more subscribers began downloading and subscribing to music content in developed markets, and it must be said that the publicity surrounding the iPhone launch undoubtedly contributed to consumer awareness of mobile music services per se.” (http://hypebot.typepad.com). Until 2007, the majority of mobile music revenue took the form of mastertones—short excerpts from an original sound recording that plays when a phone rings. The market for ringtones, ringtunes, and the like developed throughout the first half of the decade but saw a decline in sales for the first time in 2007 as consumers moved away from phone personalization features and began to adopt full track downloads to mobile (International Federation of Phonographic Industries [IFPI]). The decline in ringtones may also be facilitated by consumers creating their own mastertones on their home computers and sideloading them into their mobile devices, and also because, in many cases, the ringtones cost more than the whole song. Ringtone sales have played an important role in the evolution of music to mobile devices. Most consumers’ first experience with downloading music content directly to their mobile devices has been with ringtones, thus paving the way for consumer downloading of additional music content.

Ringtones accounted for 62% of the mobile music market in 2007 but only 35% in 2010. In 2010, Inform Telecoms and Media stated that ringback tone sales had surpassed ringtone sales in terms of the number of users, rising to 44% of mobile music users globally, with two-thirds of those coming from China and India. While ringtones and ringback tones remain the largest profit-generator for the mobile music market, sales vary widely from market to market, with much of the continued popularity found in emerging, not mature markets. For example, in Indonesia, they account for 95% of mobile music revenue (Pandey, 2010).

While the market for ringtones appears to have peaked in the U.S. and is projected to decline elsewhere in the coming years, the future of ringtones may lie in their promotional value. Labels and artists are finding ringtones a useful contest giveaway or incentives for fans to interact and support the artist. Several online services provide ringtone sales platforms, but for promotional uses, ringtones can be created using the audio editing tools provided in Chapter 8 and a converter tool like Aukido (www.Aukido.net).

MOBILE MUSIC SALES

After a half-dozen years of healthy growth in the mobile music market, 2010 saw a steep decline in mobile music income. Billboard reports that U.S. mobile sales suffered a 28% decline in 2010 (Peoples, 2011). Full track mobile downloads dropped 23% in 2010 and subscription services had mixed results with subscribership up and revenues down.

Despite the decline in mobile music revenues, revenue for full track mobile downloads is expected to grow. A 2011 Nielsen study found that “nearly one in four (24%) of the 20–24-year-old segment globally indicated they would be prepared to pay to download music videos on their mobile phone (Nielsen, 2011). However, the market for mobile revenue is evolving and now encompasses earnings generated from advertiser-supported streaming services, subscription-based services, and the download of full tracks and ringtones.

The emerging area of mobile music creates new challenges for marketing music to mobile devices. One of the first questions addressed in marketing is how to deliver the product to the consumer. What form should it take? How should it be distributed? And do the answers apply across the board to all segments of the market? Business models that work on the Internet do not translate seamlessly to mobile devices. The media industries are fraught with failed experiments into new technology where old paradigms were applied without regard to unique features of the new technology. For example, radio shows were adapted to the new medium of television, with drastic modifications as the medium developed. Consumers want their music with them at all times, and as a result, music has found its way into mobile devices beginning with car radios, through the development of the Walkman, to the portable CD player, the MP3 player, satellite radio, and now the mobile wireless handset.

RENT OR SELL?

In the absence of experience in the area of music-to-mobile, questions arise as to whether the consumer will ultimately prefer to (1) purchase and download tracks, much like iTunes; (2) subscribe to a music service much like Spotify or Rhapsody; or (3) prefer to listen to streaming audio like a personal radio channel, much like Pandora or LastFM. In the article “Marketing Mobile Music,” John Gauntt lamented,

He speculated that the variety of ways that digital music can be packaged and played on a variety of fixed and mobile devices such as dedicated music players, mobile phones, DVD players, stereos, TV, and automotive audio systems make it likely that mobile music will not be permanently fixed to a specific device. But even this varies from country to country.

The subscription-based model that has not shown success for Internet music sales does show more potential for mobile music, with consumers more willing to “rent music” that is accessed remotely. Subscription services have been a hard sell to Internet users who prefer to possess their music collections on their computers. Subscription services require subscribers to sync their libraries each month to verify their subscription is still active. This limits consumers’ ability to transfer the music to portable devices.

However, several sources, including Informa Media and Nielsen, believe subscription income will dominate future mobile music revenues.

Distribution is not a problem and financial transactions are not a problem because mobile users are billed for services monthly. The question becomes how to package and price music for the consumer. Until the industry sorts out what the consumer wants and is willing to pay for, companies that are currently in the digital music sales business, such as iTunes and Napster, wireless carriers such as Verizon and AT&T, and specialty upstarts such as Sony Music Unlimited will continue to experiment with their offerings to consumers until something hits.

Meanwhile, the mobile industry continues to test unique marketing ideas to get music consumers more involved with using mobile devices for music discovery and consumption. Informa’s predictions for 2016 are that music streaming via subscription services will grow from 9% of mobile music users to 25%. They estimate that revenue from streaming will grow from US$650 million in 2010 to US$3 billion in 2016. The more recent music model has elements of both streaming radio and subscription-based on-demand services. Spotify allows customers to select and play music on-demand, much like Rhapsody, but the free version is advertiser supported.

MARKETING

Marketing music via mobile devices involves a host of activities and should take into consideration the difference between marketing music to be sold and delivered via mobile devices and mobile marketing that may direct a customer to a more traditional outlet for purchases and transactions. And as subscription services and ad-based services become more popular, marketing will shift toward encouraging consumers to add songs to their playlist rather than purchasing them for download, since the artists and labels will be paid based upon total number of plays.

Music ID

One of the most challenging problems for record labels since the 1950s has been finding ways to help music lovers connect with the music they hear and are then motivated to purchase. A gap existed between listening to the song and determining where and how to find it for sale. FM radio, with its long blocks of music, has done a poor job of helping listeners identify the music they are hearing, and therefore, the label loses out on a sale. A campaign in the late 1980s attempted to encourage radio stations to back-announce songs they played with a reminder to disk jockeys to “when you play it, say it.” In the 1990s, early versions of retail kiosks sought to provide reference information that would help consumers quickly locate music they were searching for. Some kiosks provided music samples, and others had a keyword index. The Internet introduced other methods for identifying music, the most important being the music sample, which allowed consumers to recognize and confirm they had found the titles they intended to purchase, either online or in the store.

Figure 15.1 Global mobile music users (millions)

(source: Informa Media)

With the introduction of advanced services for the cell phone, wireless providers introduced simple song identification services. The customer would hold the phone up to the music source, and the service provider would send back a text message with the song identification information. Smartphones have taken this experience to a new level with the introduction of applications designed for music identification. Currently, the most popular music identification application is Shazam. Unfortunately, getting your music included in their database is not a readily-available feature.

Advertising via Cell Phones

Mobile advertising is poised to explode as advertisers move their budgets from traditional media to mobile media in an attempt to reach more targeted markets. Mobile advertising is predicted to grow from $3.4 billion in 2010 to $22.4 billion in 2016 (Mobile Marketer, 2012).

A 2012 Nielsen Consumer Usage Report found that 51% of consumers said they were OK with advertising on their mobile devices if they were able to access content for free (NielsenWire, 2012). Advantages of mobile advertising include:

Mobile advertising can direct music fans to a mobile web site or directly to iTunes or Amazon to purchase music. For small indie labels, artists, and other entrepreneurs, perhaps Google AdWords is the easiest way to place ads on mobile devices, using device platform targeting. This allows you to select which mobile platforms, or a combination with computer-based platforms, your ads will run. Using a standard AdWords account, this option is selected on the “campaign settings” page. There, you can select geographic locations and “networks and devices.” The Google ads show up as text ads on smartphones and text and/or image ads for tablets. Choose your landing pages wisely. Google advises that if customers are taken to a page with Flash for a device that does not support it, Google will limit your ads from running on those devices.

Figure 15.2 Google AdWords device selection for mobile ads

(with permission from Google)

QR Codes and Pull Marketing

QR codes (quick response codes) are bar codes designed to be read by the camera of a mobile device and then direct the device to perform a specific task. Smartphone applications have been developed to read and respond to QR and the Microsoft counterpart: MS Tags.

QR codes can contain a phone number, text message, plain text or a URL. They are mainly placed in print materials as a convenience, allowing the reader to quickly access the online content as instructed via the code. QR code generators are available for free on the Web, and codes can be developed quickly and easily. From a QR code generator site, select the type of communication (URL, text, SMS, phone) and then type in the information (URL, phone number, etc.). An image will be generated immediately. Some code generators will allow for formatting, such as color, size, background color, etc. The image can be downloaded. (Go ahead and try out the code in Figure 15.3.)

Figure 15.3 Example of QR code generator

(http://goqr.me)

When a QR code is developed using the text communication, textual information is sent to the user’s smartphone. This can be used to provide additional product information to the potential customer, such as details about an upcoming event. The text is delivered within the scanner application. When creating a QR code for SMS communication, an SMS message is created on the smartphone to send a specified third party phone number. This can be used if you want people to communicate with you immediately. When setting up the code, you can specify your cell number, and the default information in the message. If you use several QR codes, strategically setup for different situations (such as location-based), the default information in the SMS field can provide you with contextual information.

Musicians should incorporate QR codes into all physical printed materials, including CD covers and even T-shirts. You can use QR codes to send someone to a squeeze page: a landing page created to solicit opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers. Squeeze pages provide very little information other than the “opt-in” features. For more elaborate email or mobile campaigns, the opt-in page can allow users to select from a list of categories to opt in, or opt out. For example, the customer may want to receive information about upcoming tours in the area, but not weekly news updates on the artist’s career.

Figure 15.4 Results of scanning QR codes into smartphones

(source: calculated from data from ComScore)

Figure 15.5 Comparison of QR codes and Microsoft Tags

Microsoft has a competing product called Microsoft Tags. The tags are also free to generate, from the Microsoft site. A comparison of the two codes is presented in Figure 15.5. The true value of tag features is in the ability to collect metrics on usage. Some of the QR code generators offer a premium account that will provide such analytics.

Push/Pull and Viral Marketing via Text Messaging

In 2010, a Pew Internet & American Life Project report found that 95% of cell phones in the U.S. had short message service (SMS) capabilities; and a 2011 Pew study found that that three-quarters of them regularly send and receive text messages. Usage is much higher among young people, who are traditionally the most difficult to reach with marketing messages. Ninety-five percent of 18- to 29-year-olds and 82% of 30 to 49 year olds regularly use their mobile phones for texting. Pull marketing campaigns are those that use some other form of communication to target the customer to take some form of action on their smartphone, such as visiting a web site to learn more about a product. Nester and Lyall used the example of a “text to win” campaign, or special offers that encourage users to log on using their cell phones to receive free wallpaper or ringtones. The TV show American Idol uses a pull strategy on the live program to encourage viewers to text in their vote using their AT&T phones. Pull campaigns are being enhanced by QR codes in print materials (including billboards) and Shazam audio signals embedded in commercials and television programming. The user activates their mobile app, which upon receiving the signal or scanning the code, directs the mobile device to load up a particular web page or perform a function. Advertisers can use this to engage potential customers in interactive relationships such as contests, coupons, and so forth.

Cell phone marketers have begun using push messages to consumers’ cell phones to market products. A push message is a specially formatted SMS text message that provides the recipient with marketing information they have requested or agreed to receive. SMS messages are limited to text only and to 160 characters. Despite the limitations of the media, it has proven to be highly effective generating high brand recall and response rates.

Mobile marketing campaigns using SMS or text messaging will often use a service to manage the campaign. Mobile marketing messages are strictly regulated because often the recipient is charged for the message. Therefore, messages should be sent only to those potential customers who have agreed to receive the messages. Often, this requires some type of enticement, such as exclusives, coupons, and privileged information. There are two levels of SMS marketing: (1) Sending out one-way text messages with a traditional call to action (such as come to the show tonight) or with no call to action, (2) campaigns that encourage the recipient to take some action on their mobile device, such as “text ‘FREEMUSIC’ to 55432 now to win.”

Viral marketing campaigns are new to cell phones and incorporate the notion of recipients passing along the message to others. In the blog “How to make viral marketing appealing for phones,” JayVee mentioned three factors to successful viral campaigns on cell phones:

One-way SMS campaigns should be managed with one of the inexpensive group SMS services such as SendHub. This is one of many services offering a simple messaging solution. You sign up, add your list of numbers from customers or fans who have “opted-in” and agreed to receive your messages. Then you send out a blast to the group. With SendHub, you can schedule messages to be sent at a future time. The free version allows you to accommodate up to 50 people. For a list of 1,000 members, the cost is $50 per month. Messages can be sent out providing fans with “just in time” information, such as “gig start time changed to 8:30” or “early show sold out—second show added for 10PM.”

GupShup is a site that allows users to easily start an SMS group. Musicians can start a group, invite friends and fans, and have a convenient method to send out blast messages in support of their career. The GupShup site outlines three simple steps to start a GupShup from your mobile phone:

Interactive SMS campaigns require that the marketer (that would be the musician or manager) set up an account with a service that will provide the interactive components, including keywords and short codes. The short code is similar to a phone number in that it identifies a company, but a short code contains only five or six digits, making it easier for the recipient to type into a smartphone (SMS Marketing Services, 2012). This must be coupled with the keyword: a word or words that you choose to associate with the SMS marketing campaign. For example, you might send out a text message that says “For advance tickets, text TICKETNOW to 58546.” Then, an auto-responder message set up by the service will send back the instructions, phone number or link to purchase the tickets. This can be used with coupons, contests, polls, and other interactive campaigns.

SMS Marketing Services has some suggestions of what to look for in a mobile text marketing service. They include:

Figure 15.6 SMS marketing services

(http://www.smsmarketingservices.net)

BoomText is an interactive SMS service provider for those who want to expand their marketing reach to the mobile devices of customers and prospects that have smartphones or cell phones with text messaging capabilities. The service has call to action capabilities. Recipients text back the code number to receive the offer.

Pushr is a reasonably priced full-service SMS service. Services include two-way messaging, on-demand and scheduled messages, message subscriptions on a regular basis, and a dedicated local phone number instead of a short code that would drive up costs. RockStartTexting is a service that focuses on the music business (Raleigh, 2011). According to their web site,

Zlango is a platform that transforms SMS into a colorful icon-based experience; a combination of text and icons can be sent to mobile phones. Their plug-ins and widgets allow for some creative communication.

The best known service for SMS campaigns, and one used by major labels and artists, is Mozes. Mozes boasts,

In the case study shown in Figure 15.7, Mozes developed a marketing program for the Linkin Park tour where fans used their mobile phones to text the keyword LPSUN to the short code 50505 to receive a free digital download that was emailed to their account. More about this campaign is mentioned in the section on concert music downloads. Mozes has a basic plan for $67.50 per month that includes 3,000 messages per month.

PROXIMITY MARKETING

Proximity marketing is the localized wireless distribution of advertising content associated with a particular location, generally a retail establishment, transportation hub, or venue (Wikipedia). The electronic marketing messages are delivered to willing customers’ handsets and may include store coupons and discounts. A press release from Ace Marketing and Promotions states:

Figure 15.7 Mozes case study

Proximity marketing allows businesses to do this as long as the customer has the equipment to receive and has agreed to accept marketing messages. Messages should not be sent to customers who have not opted-in to receive them. Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and PDAs, as well as cell phones equipped with a GPS system, are among the current generation of mobile devices that are capable of being targeted by proximity marketing. Proximity marketing services are capable of sending text messages, video clips, ringtones, audio files, and promotional or discount coupons complete with a graphic representation of bar codes. An article in South Africa’s BizCommunity.com touts eight advantages of proximity marketing over other forms of marketing (from Proximity Marketing Revealed, Imajinn, 2006):

Proximity marketing is also capable of responding to pull marketing, where consumers seek out nearby retail establishments by logging on to the Internet using their mobile devices. The system would note the location and then send a customized list of appropriate retailers in the vicinity of the consumer’s device. For example, someone traveling who would like to know the names and locations of nearby pizza parlors could simply log on, type in “pizza,” and get a local list.

One of the most relevant applications of proximity marketing in the music business is proximity marketing at concerts and venues. One of the tenants of proximity marketing is having members of the target market in the area who will be responsive to the marketing messages. In all applications of proximity marketing, these messages need to have some appeal to the recipient in the form of (1) information they may desire to have, (2) special offers, (3) privileged access or opportunities, or (4) “advertainment,” something that entertains as well as advertises. Proximity marketing may be facilitated by the adoption of near field communications: a set of short-range wireless technologies, typically requiring a distance of 4cm or less to initiate a connection.

CONCERTS

Marketers have been finding new ways to incorporate cell phone marketing into live performances since the mass emergence of cell phones at concerts began to influence shows in the 1990s. Although recording devices and traditional cameras are not allowed into concert venues, some cell phone use is often encouraged. Journalist Neil Strauss of the New York Times wrote in 1998 of the emergence of the use of cell phones at concerts for something other than talking: fans were holding up cell phones, allowing someone not in attendance to hear the music. This first display of cell phone interactivity at concerts was just the beginning. A few years later, bloggers started to write of their experiences at concerts where the crowd was prompted by the artist to hold up their opened clam-shell phones to bask the audience in the blue glow from cell phone screens. At that point, the cell phone had replaced the old (and hazardous) tradition of holding up lit cigarette lighters at concerts (Alderman, 2004). Now, some acts will provide specific wallpaper for fans to download that they can use when they participate in the “screen glow” events.

In an effort to engage music fans in interactive marketing endeavors, many new forms of interaction via the cell phone have emerged to enhance the concert experience that maximize marketing potential for the artist. The advantage for artists is that they generate a list of phone numbers to be used for future marketing projects. Generally fans are given an incentive to register their cell phone numbers, even if it’s just a screen saver, wallpaper, or a music track.

TEXT TO SCREEN @ CONCERTS

Text to screen is a concept that incorporates mobile phone texting into concerts and clubs by providing attendees the chance to post a “shout out” on a screen on stage or television monitors in a club. Major concerts are now routinely offering display screens above the stage that allow for fans to use their cell phones to post a text message on the screen, for a fee or in exchange for registering their phone number and agreeing to accept push messages in the future (Leeds, 2007). For smaller venues such as clubs and parties, there are several services that provide entry level packages. In the club setting, these services allow attendees to post their text messages on video monitors to request songs, answer trivia questions, vote on drink specials, submit song requests (thus displacing the request written in lipstick on a napkin), or ask someone to dance. The event coordinator only needs to hook up a computer with Internet access to a video projection system. Some systems are service driven, charging a monthly or per-message charge. They often use a short code number to which fans text their message. Others are software packages that connect your existing cell phone account and merely project your incoming text messages to television screens. Premium features include filtering mechanisms to censor unsuitable content, either automatically, or via a delayed posting that gives the operator time to review each message.

This technology is still relatively new to the entertainment industry, especially for indie artists working in smaller venues. New services are still being launched. Some of the more notable, affordable services available in 2012 include FireText, Text-to-screen.com, iWall, iVision, and Text Live.

The benefits of these services include:

Some major acts have incorporated text messaging into other aspects of their concerts. The band Korn encouraged fans at the concert to vote by phone on which song should end their show. Others have featured contests in which concert-goers enter via their cell phone for a chance to win better seats, VIP passes, or other prizes. Fans who are encouraged to participate in these concert-related activities submit their phone numbers and grant the artist permission to send them future marketing messages about the artist. As fans leave the show, the artist has the ability to send them each a message thanking them for coming to the show and offering discounts on merchandise (LaPlant, 2008).

Figure 15.8 FireText text-to-screen features

(courtesy of Firetext)

MOBILE APPS

The iPhone introduced the world to mobile apps (short for application). These small software programs are customized to allow the user to perform certain software functions and/or access specific content. A 2011 Nielsen study found that over 30% of mobile users in North America, Europe and nearly 40% of respondents in the Middle East expressed an interest in artist-based smartphone apps.

ReverbNation provides its members with a way to create an app specific for the artist. Artists are able to create an app for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry platforms. Some suggested uses for such an app include contacting your fan base and quickly signing up new fans at an event. This app is not designed to be distributed to fans, but for use by the artist on their personal smartphone. http://www.reverbnation.com/main/overview_artist?feature=mobile_control_room

MobBase is a service that will assist in the creation of a mobile app that can be given away or sold to fans. While the service supports both the Apple and Android platforms, a recent change in Apple’s policy requires each app designer to have their own developer account, thus adding to the cost of implementation. http://www.mobbase.com/.

Figure 15.9 ReverbNation smartphone app

MOBILE TICKETING

Cell phones are beginning to replace paper tickets in a variety of settings and are expected to soon replace the paper tickets for events and air travel. In addition to reducing the environmental impact and costs, it provides a convenience to both the concert promoter and the ticket holder. Fans can purchase digital tickets on their cell phones, and then a graphic with the bar code is sent to the ticket holder. Fans simply have to scan the onscreen bar code at the entry gate to gain access to the concert. The concert promoter then has access to the phone numbers of all ticket holders, many of whom may have opted in to receive future marketing messages.

Live Nation now includes this feature on their smartphone applications, allowing the ticket holder to scan in the bar code to enter the show. Showclix is a company dedicated to mobile ticketing to events. Concert fans purchase the tickets either online or via their phone, and the QR code image is sent to their phone via SMS. The scanners at the entrance to the venue can verify each ticket, preventing fraud and duplicates.

CONCERT MUSIC DOWNLOADS

As music in the United States moves toward mobile handsets, another opportunity is created to sell recorded music to fans—impulse purchases of concert recordings. Still in its infancy at the time of this writing, there is great potential for artists to “sell back” the concert experience to attendees, even before they’ve reached their cars in the parking lot. Portions of the event can be audio recorded, mixed on the fly, and offered to attendees for sale via cell phone as they leave the venue. Many times concert attendees have lamented that they wish they had a recording of a concert they attended, and in the future, they will have the opportunity to purchase one on the spot.

Figure 15.10 Showclix iPhone image

(courtesy of Showclix)

Warner Brothers teamed up with Mozes on a campaign to provide concert attendees with a “bootleg” recording of the show they attended in exchange for texting LPSUN to 50505 to receive their digital download, which was emailed to them following the concert. The campaign resulted in the collection of 41,000 fan email addresses for future marketing purposes.

PREPARING YOUR WEB SITE FOR MOBI

Cell phone access to the Internet is bringing new challenges to web design. In the article “Web sites adapt to mobile access,” Amanda Kooser described some of those challenges: the small screens, the different formatting of the various mobile devices, limited maneuverability, and so on. Mobile handsets have been relying on the wireless application protocol (WAP) to create web sites specifically formatted for mobile devices. The domain system used for wireless devices is the .mobi (top level) domain extension on the end of the URL address. The implementation of HTML5 will allow for some standardization that was lacking with WAP (Spooner, 2011).

Just as with an Internet web site, design for a mobile site must be preceded with an understanding of goals for the site. What are you trying to accomplish and provide with a mobile web site? The goals may not be the same as for the computer-based site. An Internet site might focus on more detail, more long-term information, more entertainment, and creating branding and customer awareness. A mobile site will most likely be used by fans on the go who need quick access to information that they can use immediately. This may include information on live shows, such as directions to venues and start times. A tour schedule may be important if groups of fans are together and want to attend an event at a future date. A quick glance at your tour schedule may be what they are looking for. Contests and coupons may be important for fans as well as access to music to download and listen to. Pull messages that appear on billboards, bus boards, or in newspapers, perhaps as QR codes, may create an immediate impulse among viewers to respond to the message via cell phone, such as signing up to win something, downloading new content or visiting the mobile web site. With these goals in mind, a separate web site must be developed that allows mobile fans to quickly access what they are looking for without scrolling through a lot of pages and screens. And the site must be updated often to reflect the changing needs of its visitors.

GENERAL MOBILE WEB SITE FORMATTING RULES

Creating mobile web sites may be as simple as stripping out all CSS formatting to reveal a text-only site similar to how a search engine spider renders a site, although much of the content must also be reduced for easier browsing. Or better yet, professional “mobile” developers can create a site that dynamically produces formatting from a variety of options depending on the type of device accessing the site. In other words, the formatting of the site can vary, and for each visitor, the presentation is customized after the server detects what type of handset the visitor is currently using. HTML5 adoption may be driven by its mobile framework abilities. HTML5 can be used across almost all smartphone platforms; only the Blackberry platform is lacking compatibility. With HTML5, mobile developers can store more content on the device, making it less dependent on connectivity. Canvas and video make it easy for developers to add graphics and video without additional plugins (no need for Flash). Geo-location and advanced forms are other benefits.

Great mobile sites start with emphasizing function over form. The purpose of the site is to address a need for information or access (Henderson, 2011). Performance is important, as is simplicity. Don’t build an app when a mobile site will suffice. Apps should be left for things that a mobile site can’t do. Mobile apps restrict design and limit access to only those who have installed the app.

When designing a mobile web site, here are some basic rules to consider:

Figure 15.11 Converting computer-based web design to mobile-based web design

MOBILE SITE DESIGN PROGRAMS

Mobile web site development is still not commonplace among web designers. Adobe 5.5 has some new mobile development features including templates (Henderson, 2011). ShareSquare offers an easy conversion process whereby you enter in your site name and the system automatically pulls content from the site for your mobile site. Then you tweak the mobile site to offer the features most needed by visitors. ShareSquare offers a free version, or a premium version for less than $10 per month.

SiteSpinner Pro (mentioned in Chapter 5) offers mobile site design software. The cost is about $100. Its development software is powered by mobiSiteGalore. The mobiSiteGalore offers a free WYSIWYG mobile web site builder including multiple pages, a link manager, and an image editor. Google launched a free mobile web site building tool in 2011. They offer free templates, e-commerce, analytics, and some customization. Mofuse offers both DIY and custom designs. Plans start at less than $10 per month. Wirenode’s simple editor lets users personalize their mobile site with colors and personal images, and create, edit, rearrange and delete individual pages. Zinadoo is a quick, easy-to-use service that offers a variety of subscription plans and a 14-day free trial period. MobileMo offers a free basic version and several premium levels. In addition to site creation, MobileMo offers integration with Facebook and mobile apps.

Figure 15.12 Mockup of mobi site from mobilemo

(courtesy of www.mobilemo.com)

CONCLUSION

Mobile marketing has come to music in a big way. With over 14 million Americans using QR codes, and with 91% of all U.S. citizens having their mobile device within reach at all times (Bahaijoub, 2011), having a mobile presence is no longer a luxury. For artists who want to stay up to date, creating a “mobile” site now may increase marketing success with a small investment and may generate incremental sales and broaden the fan base. The combination of viral/push text messaging and having a mobile web presence allows for two-stage marketing campaigns, where a push message is sent to fans, who then can respond to the call for action by visiting the mobile site to buy music, check the tour schedule, or enter contests. The incorporation of mobile devices into social networking, live concerts, ticketing, and QR codes has made mobile marketing a necessary part of any artist’s marketing campaign.

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