WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

Billboard announced today that it will hold its first-ever Music App Awards at Mobile Entertainment Live!: The Music App Summit on October 5, 2010.  The event will take place in conjunction with the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2010, Fall Show, in San Francisco, CA.

The first-ever Billboard Music App Awards will reward the most innovative music-focused apps created for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia platforms.  A panel of industry visionaries will choose finalists and winners, and Billboard is encouraging any developers and companies creating music applications to apply at www.MobileEntertainmentLiveFall.com.

Selected finalists will be featured in a pre-show special section of Billboard magazine, and will have the opportunity to demonstrate their apps in Billboard's "App Lounge" at Mobile Entertainment Live!: The Music App Summit.

Any app built for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia platforms are eligible if they were released between July 1, 2009 and July 30, 2010. The participating apps must be available for sale to the public by the submission deadline.  Companies may submit as many apps as they like, but cannot nominate the same app for multiple categories.

Award Categories Include:

• Best Artist-Based App: Apps created specifically for an artist
• Best Music Streaming App: Apps that feature music, such as Internet Radio or On-Demand
• Best Music Engagement App: Apps that engage in music in various ways outside of creating or just listening
• Best Music Creation App: Apps that let users make their own music via the phone
• Best Branded App: Apps that incorporate a sponsor with music capabilities to promote both the sponsor's message and highlight the music

The deadline for all submissions is July 30, 2010, and finalists in each category will be announced on September 1, 2010.  The winners will be revealed at Mobile Entertainment Live!: The Music App Summit on October 5. To submit an app or for more information about the awards, please visit: www.MobileEntertainmentLiveFall.com.

There have been plenty of app awards, but none have focused solely on music-specific apps," said Antony Bruno, Billboard's Executive Director of Content and Programming for Digital/Mobile. "Given how important the mobile and app market is to the music industry, Billboard wanted to showcase the most innovative apps out there from the artists and services defining the opportunity today. We're looking forward to seeing what people have come up with, and giving the best of the best their rightful due."