Listen to the radio, buy it via mobile

The joint venture by the two Primedia companies was unveiled on Tuesday, 15 July 2008, at Primedia broadcasting offices in Sandton, Johannesburg.

The 94.7 Music Shop allows listeners to have access to eXactmobile' catalogue of more than 200 000 songs from every music genre and does not limit purchases to the station's play list only. Purchases can be made by credit card or premium0rated SMS. However, credit card transactions are said to be considerably cheaper, due to network costs involved in premium-rated SMSes.

“We have partnered with eXactmobile, another Primedia company, on this initiative [as it] brings with it the necessary technology and infrastructure, as well as [a] wealth of experience in selling music online. It also has the very important rights with record labels,” said Ryan Till, COO for Primedia Broadcasting.

94.7 listeners will be able to browse the playlist, and then sample songs, but when it comes to buying, they have to be members of the station's VIP loyalty programme. The added benefit is that certain song downloads will be made available in exchange for VIP points for club members through specially negotiated promotions. “One of the biggest demands from our listeners is to make available to them the music they love. They want to download it, and own it. What we are doing is to give listeners access to the music they hear on 94.7 via our website and enabling them to download these tracks onto their mobile phones,” explained Till.

“We have devised a system where listeners can check what was played on 94.7 on any day at any time by viewing the playlist on the website (www.highveld.co.za) or the mobile website (www.highveld.mobi). Next to each song will be a buy button which will enable listeners to purchase the song, after which they can download it to their phone.”

The partnership is part of Primedia Broadcasting's digital strategy to take advantage of new interactive media platforms.

“Four years ago, when podcasts first emerged, questions were raised around the longevity of radio as a medium. The Radio Advertising Bureau in the UK researched the relationship between a consumer's personal listening devices such as (iPod, MP3 player) and their favourite radio station and concluded that they are complementary. While people like to listen to their own music on their MP3s, they rely on radio to highlights new music for them. So this is a match made in heaven. It's up to radio operators to ensure that they remain alive and well in these digital spaces,” commented Till.

The service will be available from 21 July 2008.