Radio firm offers phone downloads

Singer James Blunt is an integral part of Heart's playlist

The company behind the Heart and Galaxy radio networks is to test a scheme where songs played on the stations can be downloaded to mobile phones.

Chrysalis will use a BT handset capable of receiving digital radio.

The 100 participants in the two-month trial can choose to buy any song they hear, with MP3 copies being sent to their phone and their home computer.

If launched commercially, the service would be likely to have a subscription, plus an unspecified fee per download.

This could happen in December, once the results of the test - in June and July - have been analysed.

'Premium' service

The service is being launched in association with UBC Media, which owns the frequencies the service will use.

UBC's chief executive Simon Cole said: "If you press 'Buy' when you're listening to James Blunt on Heart, the file is immediately added to your library in the phone.

"The server also pushes a 128-kilobyte version of the song to your home account so it's also on your computer waiting to be put on your iPod. We think people will be willing to pay a premium for that level of service."

Phil Riley, chief executive of Chrysalis Radio, added: "It's a very neat way of allowing people who are time-poor, and not particularly technically-literate, the ability to download the music they like.

"The Heart type of audience - working women or mums with kids - are absolutely typical time-poor people. Getting the kids to school is much higher up on their list of priorities than downloading music."

DAB digital radio has been promoted as a platform that offers many more stations than the FM waveband, with less interference.