Verizon Announces V CAST Song Recognition Service
Verizon proudly announced a new service called V CAST Song ID, which subscribers can use to recognize music that they hear playing by holding their phones at the sound source and letting a server listen-in. The server runs a "digital fingerprint" application which matches the notes being heard against a database of over 4 Million songs. The BREW applet then launches the V CAST store where the customer can buy the full song, a ringtone, ringback tone, or other media associated with the musician. VZW is promoting it with TV, print ads and a big media spend, going so far as to jibe at the competition: "...At a time when some of our competitors won't even allow you to download your music over-the-air, Verizon Wireless is pushing forward by offering Song ID for free. We'll help you find the music you love, then make it easy for you to buy." said the VZW Chief Marketing Officer. OK, we get it, this is a pretty cool app, but let's not get carried away here: Didn't we see exactly this same app from AT&T Wireless in 2004? Didn't Motorola embed it in phones in 2005? Virgin Mobile already has the app, too. As an industry, we need to do better than blow our own horns for launching a product just three years after the fastest competitor!
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