“Will the mobile phone take over from the iPod”. This was the question discussed by a panel session at In The City, which featured Steve Mayall (mobile music analyst, MusicAlly), Andy Baker (CEO, DX3), Susie Hinchliffe (Head of Content, Filter), Leigh Turnbull (Senior Publicist, WayToBlue) and Danny Van Emden (digital media director, EMI Music).

Recent research commissioned by MonsterMob revealed that that there are 935m internet users, but 2 billion mobile handsets in the world. 200m mobiles now have Internet access. But 2.1billion mobiles will be able to access the Net by 2009.

Way to Blue does mobile press and promotions. Filter does bluecasting which involves putting units in areas like train stations and transmitting content like music over Bluetooth.

EMI has worked in the mobile space since 1999. They’ve even done Flashmobs. One over-riding idea is using online community to drive sales.

Steve Mayall said the value of the mobile music market keeps getting pitched by various analyst firms. So is there potential for a bubble? Will mobile music be an $11bn market by 2010?

Van Emden: “The media loves a soundbite. But the ubiquity of mobiles means there is an amazing opportunity for music on the mobile. One possibility is getting lapsed music buyers back into the market. The idea that through it’s ubiquity we could get people who seldom buy music back involved. We need to work closely with mobile networks to advertise and market. Currently we are advertising lifestyles, rather than how to actually do it.”