Stingray Digital announced that it has launched Galaxie Mobile, the first Canadian-owned commercial-free mobile streaming music service.
For more information visit: www.galaxie.ca ; www.stingraydigital.com
Unedited press release follows:
Galaxie Launches First Canadian Ad-Free Mobile Streaming Music Service
New interactive service from Stingray Digital delivers the Galaxie music loved by Canadians to mobile devices
MONTREAL, QUEBEC–(Aug. 16, 2011) – Stingray Digital, Canada’s leader in interactive music, today launched Galaxie Mobile, the first Canadian-owned commercial-free mobile streaming music service.
Galaxie Mobile takes the popular Galaxie music service – already available online and in more than 10 million Canadian homes via cable, satellite and IPTV – to the “third screen,” mobile devices.
The new service offers all of Galaxie’s 45 commercial and talk-free channels while adding interactive controls. Listeners can skip songs to get to the music they love and can purchase their favourite songs directly on iTunes via the Galaxie Mobile player.
A new, independent national survey by Vision Critical found that Galaxie’s channels were listened to by more than one-third of all Canadians (35%) in the past month and by more than one in five Canadians (21%) in the past week. More than half of Canadians (58%) have listened to Galaxie at some point in the past, according to Vision Critical.
“Now Canadians can enjoy all the Galaxie music they play at home while they’re on the move, from coast to coast,” says Eric Boyko, president of Stingray Digital. “Galaxie Mobile not only expands the music experience for millions of current Galaxie listeners, but also extends it to new listeners.”
Boyko adds, “The addition of a mobile service to the Galaxie line-up demonstrates Stingray’s commitment to providing more choice to our listeners on multiple platforms, as well as our commitment to supporting Canadian music talent which is featured on all 45 channels.”
The player is available immediately in Canada for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and all Android devices. It can be downloaded via Apple’s App Store at www.galaxie.ca/galaxiemobile and via the Android Market at www.galaxie.ca/android. The same apps will also soon be available to customers in the US, and on other devices such as Blackberry.
“We welcome the launch of Galaxie Mobile into Canada’s fast-growing digital music market with this pioneering agreement representing more than 1500 rights holders between AVLA and SOPROQ,” says Victoria Shepherd, Executive Director of AVLA.
“By providing a “one-stop” shop for licensing with both major and independent music labels, we have created an accessible template for other semi-interactive services that want to come to Canada,” adds Shepherd.
“Stingray is an excellent partner for our members as we work hard to create a new paradigm for licensing services in Canada,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada. “Our priority is to get these services operating here as quickly as possible. We understand that the regulatory environment can be cumbersome and confusing for many digital service providers but our members are aggressively pursuing innovative mechanisms. AVLA provides the perfect liaison.”
Lyette Bouchard, Directrice Générale, Société de gestion collective des droits des producteurs de phonogrammes et de vidéogrammes du Québec (SOPROQ), remarks, “The launch of a Canadian service such as this; that is legal, attractive and competitive is an important evolution of online music services. The Galaxie Mobile service will certainly help to steer music lovers away from practicing piracy.”
The Galaxie Mobile app is a free download. The subscription fee is $4.99 per month following a seven-day free trial period. A 3-month option for $9.99 or an annual subscription for $39.99 is also available.
The new service features high quality digital audio with a wide variety of licensed music from the major record labels and independents. The music spans a variety of styles in both French and English, including pop, rock, classical, jazz, country and more.
About Stingray Digital Media Group
Stingray Digital is the leading multi-platform music service provider in the world, with more than 60 million subscribers in 45 different countries. Our properties include:
• The KARAOKE Channel, the world’s largest licensed karaoke library and karaoke service on TV and Internet (www.thekaraokechannel.com)
• Galaxie, the leading digital music service on TV in Canada and in the US (www.galaxie.ca)
• Music Choice Europe, the leading digital music service on TV in Europe and Africa (www.musicchoiceinternational.com)
• Stingray360, a leader in sensorial marketing solutions for business (www.stingray360.com)
• Stingray Music, music licensing for film, television, advertising and other (www.stingray-music.com)
• Concert TV, a video-on-demand service distributed to 30 million homes in the US and soon in Canada (www.concerttv.com)
Stingray Digital is financially backed by Telesystem and Novacap. Headquartered in Montreal, the company has 135 employees in offices across Canada and additional offices in Charlotte, North Carolina and Budapest. For more information, visit www.stingraydigital.com.