U.S. Cellular customers can now have access to mobile music and entertainment company mSpot Inc.'s Make-UR-Tones custom ringtone application.

The application lets users download, edit and buy custom ringtones directly to their mobile devices. Make-UR-Tones will be a core offering on the new EVDO Network on U.S. Cellular, which has been a partner of mSpot's since 2006.

"MSpot offers its products both directly -- D2C -- and through carrier partners with an on-deck presence," said Daren Tsui, CEO of mSpot, Palo Alto, CA. "The partnership with U.S. Cellular allows us to reach 6.2 million of their subscribers."

Based in Chicago, U.S. Cellular claims to be fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the U.S., serving 6.2 million customers nationwide.

MSpot services more than four million customers across 10 wireless carriers.

In the U.S., mSpot entertainment services are available through Alltel, AT&T, Boost, Metro PCS, nTelos, Sprint, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless; and in Canada through Bell Mobility and TELUS.

MSpot helps consumers access music, custom ringtones, live radio and videos from major music labels, movie studios and brands including ABC, ClearChannel, Fox Sports, Paramount Pictures and Disney.

MSpot's products include mSpot Radio, mSpot Movies, Music Sync and Make-UR-Tones.

The target demographic of Make-UR-Tones is consumers ages 13"35.

The Make-UR-Tones application lets customers select their custom ringtone from a catalog of more than 400,000 song titles, one of the largest ringtone collections in North America and about ten times the catalog size of most other legal ringtone services, according to mSpot.

The monetization is based on a revenue-sharing agreement between the carrier, music labels and mSpot.

Songs include those from music labels EMI, Universal Music Group, Warner Brothers Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Ingrooves and IRIS.

The mSpot Web site also features lyrics, artist bios, and recommendations for mobile music fans.

To buy custom ringtones, customers first select a favorite song from mSpot's song collection then employ the Make-UR-Tones editor to select up to 30 seconds of the consumer's favorite part of the song.
That edited cut can then be downloaded as a customized ringtone for $2.99.

According to Juniper Research, worldwide mobile music revenues will reach $14 billion by 2011.

For its part, mSpot has completed more than 500 ports to mobile phones supported across 10 North American carriers and in 2008 saw its subscriber base increase to more than four million customers -- a 260 percent jump since 2007.

There will be various marketing efforts to support the Make-UR-Tones on-deck application.

"There's quite a bit of committed marketing in this deal," Mr. Tsui said. "We are promoted on-deck in all the appropriate directories with WAP banners, PC Web advertising, point-of-sale signage and TV advertising."