Adamind, Universal in mobile music pact

Mobile content software company Adamind has announced a three-year contract with Universal Music Group's U.S. mobile subsidiary to help adapt the music industry giant's content for mobile distribution. Adamind also will provide Universal with a managed service offering profiles and formats for all existing and new mobile devices on the market.

The agreement with Universal Music Mobile U.S. (UMM-US) calls for Adamind's Spire Production Suite to be deployed within UMM-US, and integrated into its existing mobile production workflow systems.

Shailendra Jain, CEO of Adamind, said the managed device-profile service also is significant, and will help UMM-US stay abreast of the devices most in demand by service providers that discuss their device plans with Adamind.

Jain said Universal engaged Adamind last fall around the time of the CTIA IT and Entertainment trade show. “They said they were very interested in launching many music-related applications using their music content, and it needed to be repurposed for the mobile industry and a range of devices,” he said. “There is the sense that in the U.S., Europe and Asia, this will be the year for mobile music.”

Adamind was a spin off company that emerged in September 2004 after the merger of Royal Philips Electronics and Emblaze. The company, based in Israel, has been pursuing media adaptation for mobile messaging, but according to Jain, Adamind is now seeing the same need for transcoding software with the emergence of mobile music and video applications that content owners and carriers want push over as many device types and operating systems as possible.