July 6, 2009

Yesterday, Sunday July 5, the TDC and YouSee PLAY music service reached download number 100 million since its launch on April 1, 2008.

100 million downloads corresponds to every single person in Denmark - young and old - downloading 20 songs during the first 15 months the service has been in operation. If this music had been purchased through the traditional digital market, it would have cost users upwards of DKK 800 million. However, the service allows TDC and YouSee mobile and broadband subscribers to legally download music for free.

"We expected a lot of download activity, but we never imagined that we would reach 100 million song downloads in just 15 months. After a ten-year slump the volume of the music market in Denmark has doubled in a record time," says Mikael Jensen, Head of TDC Music.

The 100 million'th download was reached between 10 and 11 p.m. as a mobile costumer downloaded 'Kun For Mig' with Medina.

TDC and YouSee PLAY were launched at midnight on 31 March/1 April 2008 as the first music service of its kind. No other telecom provider had ever tried a business model in which the rights to music are purchased for a flat rate and then the music is made available for free to the provider's mobile and broadband subscribers. The plan was to recoup the costs of the music by attracting and retaining more customers.

"We went full steam into the great unknown and without anyone to compare ourselves with. It required great courage on behalf of the record companies and the copyright holders that joined the project. One reason for the success of the project is probably that Denmark is a relatively small country with a very mature mobile and broadband market. It was the ideal place to test a new business model that could potentially have a significant impact on the global music industry," says Mikael Jensen.

The music service attracted a great deal of attention from outside Denmark from day one, and today the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) highlights TDC and YouSee PLAY as a pioneering example:

"TDC PLAY is a true pioneer in the world of digital music and has been a great partner for the music industry. TDC was one of the first ISPs in the world to see the enormous potential to be unlocked in a service that bundles music into its broadband offering. The service offers consumers access to a vast library of repertoire, while fairly paying artists, songwriters and record producers for their work," says IFPI Chairman John Kennedy.

The music creators - represented in Denmark by KODA, a non-profit collective rights management society - are singing the same tune:

"Our members - the record companies - are very pleased that the Danes have welcomed TDC and YouSee PLAY with open arms and are even downloading more Danish music than via any other online service. PLAY is a trailblazing music service - probably the first of its kind in the world - where music creators and song writers are guaranteed fair payment for their music while at the same time making it feel ‘free' for the consumers," says Niels Bak from KODA.

Facts about the first 15 months of TDC and YouSee PLAY

• The catalogue contains three million songs compared to one million at launch time. More than 50 per cent of the catalogue has been downloaded so far, making the download rate twice as high as in a traditional digital music store.

• The 100 million downloads cover approx. 147,000 different musicians. The 100 most popular musicians are responsible for approx. 35 per cent of all downloads.

• Approx. 25,000 musicians have only been downloaded once.

Top 10 - Most popular artist

1 Abba

2 Infernal

3 Michael Jackson

4 Gasolin

5 Nik & Jay

6 Madonna

7 Britney Spears

8 Tina Dickow

9 Kim Larsen & Kjukken

10 Queen

Top 10 - Most popular single

1 Lady GaGa, Poker Face

2 Sys Bjerre, Malene

3 Katy Perry, I Kissed A Girl

4 Medina, Kun For Mig

5 Katy Perry, Hot N Cold

6 Hej Matematik, Walkmand

7 Martin, The 1

8 Infernal, Downtown Boys - Original Version

9 Nik & Jay, Kommer Igen

10 Madonna, 4 Minutes (Album Version)

Top 10 - Most popular album

1 Madonna, Hard Candy (Standard Edition)

2 Natasja, I Danmark er jeg født

3 Sys Bjerre, Gør Det Selv

4 Infernal, Electric Cabaret - special edition

5 L.O.C., Melankolia / XxxCouture

6 Tina Dickow, A Beginning, A Detour, An Open Ending

7 Sanne Salomonsen, Unico

8 Coldplay, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

9 Martin, Show The World

10 Volbeat, Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood

For further information

TDC Presse, phone +45 70 20 35 10