MUMBAI: Toronto-based Puretracks, a leading North American digital music provider that partners with Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, EMI, and independent labels worldwide, has developed a new DRM-free mobile music store and service for BlackBerry smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM).
 
The Puretracks Mobile Edition music store for BlackBerry, built in conjunction with handset development partner Magnet Mobile Media, will work with all BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry 8800 series smartphones. It is a next-evolution digital music service developed exclusively for wireless handsets using compressed DRM-free AAC/AAC+ file formats.
 
This high-quality digital format is only half the size of MP3 files, significantly reducing the download time and storage capacity required while maintaining CD quality sound. The DRM-free service will make it easy for users to download and play songs on their BlackBerry smartphones.
 
"When it comes to the wireless world, BlackBerry is at the forefront and we are excited to offer our service on a cutting-edge solution that seamlessly integrates digital music into the wireless space," notes Puretracks CEO Andrea Ziegler.
 
"The Puretracks Mobile music service we have developed for the BlackBerry platform is an innovative mobile music store for North America that employs DRM-free, 64 kb AAC/AAC+ files. For wireless users, this equates to inexpensive airtime costs, smaller storage requirements, and higher music quality."
 
A sneak peek of the Puretracks Mobile Edition music service for BlackBerry will be unveiled 12 March at the South By Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin, Texas. A full version of the mobile music service will launch at CTIA Wireless 1 April.
 
The new mobile music store, which will debut in the United States with future roll-out plans slated for Canada and other markets, will feature a broad selection of songs from top mainstream and independent artists. Future additions to the Puretracks Mobile Edition music service will include support for Wi-Fi capable handsets, enabling BlackBerry smartphone users to download MP3 files over Wi-Fi connections.