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Just think of it: Duncan Sheik telling you you've
got a call.

WMG SPRINTS TO THE PHONE

Pact With PCS Means Bunny Ringtones, Music Previews for Cellie Users
Ah, the Consumer Electronics Show. The gadgets! The gizmos! The guys from Seattle negotiating with hookers. And most of all, the press releases.

Among the hordes of companies hawking their wares and announcing exciting new initiatives along the carpeted, overlit thoroughfares of Vegas, you might recognize a comparatively venerable institution: Warner Music Group.

The Bunny, you see, has inked a pact with Sprint that will offer WMG music ringtones and artist announcements to PCS subscribers--not to mention a service offering sample snippets.

That's right; not only can you have songs by artists like the B-52s, Chicago, Deep Purple, The Donnas, Fabolous, Third Eye Blind, Nappy Roots or Audiovent, among many others, as your ringtone for about a buck. You can also have, for a mere $2.00 per download, a "Celebrity Voice Ringer."

Just think of it: Duncan Sheik telling you you've got a call. Why, it's almost as though Duncan Sheik were answering your phone for you. Or as if Duncan Sheik were an indentured servant of AOLTW! What a delicious fantasy.

Speaking of fantasies, think of the ones you can indulge in the realm of animated ringtones and screen savers for your phone. Um, your phone does have a screen equipped for animation, right? I mean, jeez, what are we, savages?

OK, then... another two clams will allow you to download multimedia content that will delight your officemates every single time you get a call.

Perhaps most interestingly, a new service for PCS peeps provides on-demand song snippets of WMG music via the phone. On the surface, this offering ($3.99 for 90 days) is a way for consumers to browse releases from affiliated labels Warner Bros., Atlantic, Elektra, Maverick, Lava, Rhino and Word from any location. But with a few easy menu prompts, it could be consumer-subidized callout research.

There: don't say I never gave you nothin' for free, Paul Vidich.

Speaking of Paul Vidich, do you think WMG's EVP, Strategic Planning and Business Development has a quote ready for this occasion?

"As wireless technology advances, we're moving aggressively to establish new business models in the music space and to provide our artists and labels with innovative ways to reach music fans," Vidich said off the top of his head. "With Sprint's sophisticated network and groundbreaking PCS technology, we're able to deliver a comprehensive music service via mobile phones to music fans across America."

In other CES news, where the nekkid ladies at?

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