Cingular Wireless has taken the guesswork out of identifying a recorded song with its enhanced music recognition service, MusicID. Available in two formats -- Text Messaging and JAVA Application -- MusicID uses Cingular's digital voice network to listen to and identify a recorded song from the radio, television, CD or some other external source.

Cingular's MusicID service searches against a database containing more than three million recorded songs and then ID's the song.  All it takes is a capable handset, some recorded music, and a couple of punches on the phone's keypad to ID the song while it's playing.  Within a few seconds, the user will receive the track title and artist name on the phone's screen.  Moreover, once a song or artist is matched, users will have the opportunity to purchase the ringtone of the song.

MusicID: Messaging Application

With the messaging version, Cingular MusicID users simply dial #ID (#43) from their handset when they hear a song they want to identify.  After holding their phone up to the music source for a few seconds, they will receive a text message with the name of the song and the artist, as well as information on purchasing a ringtone of the identified song, if available. The cost to use the MusicID messaging application is $.99 per ID. 

MusicID: JAVA Application

Today, Cingular customers who have a Nokia 6682 can ID a song using the JAVA version of MusicID -- an industry first. When customers download the JAVA application, they simply select the "ID Song" option, hold their phone up to the speaker and then wait a few seconds for the song to be identified. Once the song is matched, users will see a color page with the name of the song and artist, as well as album cover art.

In addition to providing users with a colorful, easy-to-navigate interface, the JAVA-application links directly to the ringtone and graphics of the matched song and/or artist. The application also intelligently recommends content based on the song matched, providing a link for customers to immediately purchase the content. Furthermore, the JAVA-version of MusicID stores previous ID's, allowing users to retrieve the information whenever they feel the need or use their ID list as future playlists. It also has an "easy
to use interface" for texting matched songs to other customers, which then links those customers directly to the IDs and content, if available. The cost for the JAVA version of MusicID is $6.99 per month for unlimited IDs. 

The JAVA application is currently available on the Nokia 6682 and will be available on other handsets in the near future.