The latest Music Media Watch newsletter from Steve Myers came out yesterday with an op-ed feature on the-phone which we covered to great extent – for our paid subscribers – back in January. That being said it’s well worth the read (for free) as it even popped-up on the O’Reilly Radar this morning Meanwhile, there’s a few other “Noteworthy News” tips clipped from his blast after the jump.

Napster Japan adds Universal to flat-rate mobile service [.pdf]
Napster Japan has added more than 100,000 songs from Universal Music to their ‘Uta Houdai’ flat-rate mobile subscription service for NTT Docomo. Uta Houdai, currently available only on the newest DoCoMo series of handsets, has a fixed fee of JPY 1,980 (US$16.50) per month. With the addition of Universal, Napster Japan will be able to offer tracks from artists such as Bon Jovi, U2, and Stevie Wonder.

Froute starts new mobile music search service [link]
Tokyo-based Froute has launhced a new free off-portal search service for chaku-uta (mastertones), chaku-uta full (full-tracks) and chaku-melo (polyphonic ringtones). Search results take users straight to the download page for the desired song on official music download sites. For the first year, Froute has set a target of indexing 50 official services and more than 3 million songs.

RIAJ steps up campaign to fight mobile piracy [link]
In collaboration with major labels and artists, the RIAJ has started a new campaign intended to combat illegal music distribution for mobile phones. The website for the campaign features anti-piracy messages from five popular Japanese artists, with more to be added throughout the year. The RIAJ estimates that more than 287 million music files were downloaded illegally to mobile phones over the past year.

Related posts:

1. Vodafone’s Mobile Music Search
2. KDDI Music Downloads: $70mn Annual Revenue?
3. Mobile Music Moves Off-Portal
4. Napster Mobile Launches on i-mode
5. Japan Mobile Music 3Q Results

Some sage advise when entering new turf; Stop, Look and Listen.. it’s also good to secure a local guide. Japan is the cradle of mobile civilization – we have been dedicated to this space since 2001 – trust our archives here offer some useful material.

Domestic activities continue to set the pace, and sharp players are looking at global markets. We have hard-earned industry expertise and trusted network of contacts with access to advanced intell. and potential deal flow. Need a lift.. Ok, buckle-up!