Orange's MobileAct searching for unsigned bands

Via the always interesting ‘Your personalised Monthly email from Orange’, I read about MobileAct (mobileact.co.uk).

The operators here in the UK are falling over themselves to ally their brands with music. If my memory serves, Vodafone, T-Mobile and o2, as well as Orange, have all got some sort of TV-show tie in related to live music. Nearly all of the resultant TV shows are either on Channel4 (also showing MobileAct) or ITV.

MobileAct appears to be a ‘proper’ produced show — that is, it’s not some limpwristed half hearted attempt at a battle-of-the-bands. The show’s traveling across the UK to check out the finalists, in much the same way as X-Factor or American Idol — plus it features an array of well known UK (and pretty credible) personalities as judges.

How has it been mobilised? Well MobileAct has it’s own wap site (wap.mobileact.co.uk) and Mobisodes are published every Monday, along with updated site content on Fridays.

Disappointingly, if you’d like to get the link sent to your mobile, it’ll cost you about 35 pence. (i.e. 25p premium rate text then the cost of a standard network rate). Why this couldn’t have been made free, I don’t know.

There’s a good array of video content on the MobileAct site, however it’s been built by a total arse. Someone who doesn’t quite recognise the power of social media. Or someone who’s been sat under a rock for a few years. I was going to embed a video here on this post to give you an idea of the quality of the show. Unfortunately it’s all proprietary. You want to watch a vid? Well you can, via flash, but you HAVE to visit their site. Which, I’m willing to bet, no SMS Text News reader will really be bothered to do. But a few might have clicked an embeded video to have a look.

The show is also part sponsored by Sony Ericsson. Cool concept.