Ericsson laces Networked Society with music

By Prince Osuagwu

 Although Ericsson divorced it relationship with device maker Sony, there are indications the telecommunications backbone provider is not finished yet with music and other forms of creating world entertainment.

Now the company has just announced collaboration with world-famous DJ and producer Avicii to show how the Networked Society enables innovation and business transformation.

The Networked Society is Ericsson’s description of a world where real-time connectivity between people, places and things enables new ways of doing business and accessing entertainment. The entertainment industry has proven a success in embracing new models, beginning with digital distribution. This project is a prime example that now takes a further step into creation and production.  Ericsson says it will use this project as a proof point in conversations with other industries.

Avicii is a young, progressive artist who has already tested new ground in ways of working and creating music. His fan base grew from nothing to tens of millions on social media alone, with his two recent hit singles on label Universal Music Sweden.  He wa

The Youth sensation.....Avicii

s recently ranked as the second-most influential under-30 person in music by Forbes magazine.

The project begins with asking Avicii’s fans and producers from all over the world to contribute sound files over the internet.  The ‘Avicii x You’ project already kicked off Wednesday. The project will create the world’s first “crowdsourced” hit song, to be released on February 26, 2013.

Avicii says: “I am thrilled to ask my fans to be part of my creative process.  We’re taking music production and distribution  and probably performance  to the next level.”

Meanwhile, Ericsson’s Chief Marketing Officer Arun Bhikshesvaran said that “by 2018, we believe mobile data traffic will grow about 12-fold from its current levels, driven by entertainment experiences. In addition, according to our 10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2013, social entertainment, collaboration and creativity in city life and cloud-based services are key ingredients of the evolving Networked Society. We look forward to engaging with our customers and other key stakeholders to realize our vision of the Networked Society,"