Warner Music International, Sony Ericsson And Madonna Announce ‘HARD CANDY’ Mobile Partnership

HARD CANDY content offered with Sony Ericsson Walkman® phones in twenty seven countries across the Latin American, Baltic and Nordic regions

Sony Ericsson and Warner Music International (WMI) today announced an agreement enabling new music and mobile content from Madonna’s smash hit new album, HARD CANDY, to be sold with selected Sony Ericsson mobile devices in twenty seven countries. High profile marketing campaigns in each country will promote the availability of the phones and Madonna’s eleventh studio album for Warner Bros. Records. HARD CANDY has debuted at number one in thirty seven countries, with “4 Minutes”, the first single from the album, also hitting the top spot across the world.

From this month, a range of Sony Ericsson phones pre-loaded with HARD CANDY will be sold in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. The phones will retail in two packages, one with five tracks from the album, the other with the full album and both with extra content such as wallpapers and ringtones. In a staggered roll-out that began in May, a download voucher for HARD CANDY and an array of additional content including an exclusive “4 Minutes” remix is being ‘bundled’ with purchases of the Sony Ericsson W890 Walkman® phone in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. Sony Ericsson W380i Walkman® mobiles in Belgium and Czech Republic are already available with a HARD CANDY CD.

John Reid, Vice Chairman WMI and President, Warner Music Europe, said, “The evolution of mobile handsets along with technological convergence continues to open up new ways for us to distribute and market our artists’ music. This partnership with Sony Ericsson further expands HARD CANDY’s global promotional reach and puts exciting content from the album direct into the hands of Madonna fans all over the world. Not only that, packaging music from a global megastar with new Sony Ericsson phones will help drive sales of music-enabled devices and contribute to the uptake of mobile music”.

Inigo Zabala, President, Warner Music Latin America, said, “As the prevailing digital technology in Latin America, mobile phones offer us an ever-growing opportunity to connect artists with fans on an immediate, on-going basis. The pre-loaded Sony Ericsson devices will provide consumers with a rich, immersive HARD CANDY experience whilst furnishing them with the means to discover further fantastic mobile content from Madonna.”

Martin Blomkvist, Head of Content Acquisition, Sony Ericsson, said, "Sony Ericsson have been involved in a number of very successful artist specific initiatives, all of them aimed at pushing mobile music to new levels. We are very pleased to work with Warner Music around such an iconic and continuously groundbreaking artist like Madonna. This partnership further strengthens our ambition to always be innovative in a space where the experience for the consumer is everything.”

Madonna, the multi-Grammy-award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, cultural icon, world renowned stage performer, video visionary, children's book author, director and documentary film maker has sold over 200 million albums in the course of her unprecedented two decade plus career and has recently been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In January, Sony Ericsson unveiled the next stage in the evolution of their PlayNow platform, the popular over-the-air download service. It was announced that Warner Music Group was amongst the companies partnering with Sony Ericsson to add over 5 million new tracks to the platform.

About Warner Music International:
Warner Music International (WMI) is Warner Music Group's global (ex-U.S.) recorded music division that markets and distributes WMG's world-class roster of U.S. and international recording artists through a network of affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. With a commitment to developing local talent as well as marketing international superstars, WMI leverages its expertise in each region around the world to attract and cultivate a diverse international artist roster. WMG is a pioneer in delivering music content in new and exciting ways, with a track record of 'firsts' in the digital space.

About Sony Ericsson:
Having sold over 100 million phones in 2007, Sony Ericsson is currently one of the five largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world. An important industry player operating in over 80 countries, our phones, accessories and PC cards are synonymous with innovation and style. With R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China, India and North America, diversity is one of the core strengths of the company. Sony Ericsson was established as a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London.

Source: Warner Music International