Beatnik, Inc. - Enhanced Audio Solutions

BEATNIK LAUNCHES MOBILE SOUND BUILDER
CONTENT TOOLS

New toolset is first to enable ringtone, content and mobile application developers to create revenue-generating audio services using both SP-MIDI and XMF

San Mateo, CA – February 18, 2003 --Beatnik, Inc., a leading provider of standards-based audio software solutions for mobile devices, today launched the Mobile Sound Builder suite of content creation tools, enabling developers to build revenue-generating audio services based on open industry standards such as SP-MIDI, DLS and XMF. The new suite is the first to allow the creation of MIDI-based audio with authentic sounding custom audio samples based on real instruments, voices and special effects – opening up a whole new world of possibility for creative developers.

Industry analysts suggest that the global mobile entertainment market is set to continue the strong growth it has shown in recent years. EMI recently stated that in 2001, ringtone downloads in Japan and Europe accounted for some $1.3bn of the music industry’s total $33bn revenues, whilst in 2002, Ovum predicted that the global mobile entertainment market will be worth $3bn by 2005.

“Consumers are demanding more from their mobile phones and service providers than ever before,” said Jeremy Copp, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Beatnik. “Handset manufacturers are well aware of these needs, with Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Siemens and others all integrating advanced Beatnik audio capabilities into their phones. The Mobile Sound Builder toolset helps developers to bring high fidelity audio to proven services such as ringtones and user interface sounds, and to experiment with new content for emerging services such as games and MMS.”

The Beatnik Mobile Sound Builder toolset is the first on the market to enable the creation of both 3GPP standard SP-MIDI ringtones, and XMF content for advanced mobile phones from companies such as Nokia, Siemens and Sony Ericsson. The 3GPP approved SP-MIDI audio standard was co-authored by Beatnik, and is the industry standard for ringtone development. XMF – already a MIDI Manufacturer’s Association standard – is expected to be adopted by 3GPP as part of a new 3G audio standard synthesis format.

The Beatnik Audio Engine – the ‘player’ for SP-MIDI and digital audio services – is already included in a wide range of mobile phones, from the Nokia 3510i to Symbian OS smartphones. It supports playback of industry standard mobile phone audio formats, including MIDI, SPMIDI, RMF, WAV and raw PCM audio, allowing developers to integrate a wide range of audio content in their applications.

The Beatnik Mobile Sound Builder toolset will initially be available on request from sales@beatnik.com, with wide availability later in Q1 2003.

For more information on Beatnik, Inc., go to: www.beatnik.com or contact:sales@beatnik.com or .

About Beatnik, Inc.
Beatnik licenses scalable, standards-based structured audio software solutions for mobile devices, which enable rich multimedia content delivery and an enhanced user experience for games and device interaction. Beatnik markets its core software technology and audio content development tools to mobile device manufacturers and a community of creative professionals. Incorporated in 1996, Beatnik was founded by musician and composer Thomas Dolby Robertson.