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Sprint Criticized for Excluding Indie Labels

Raising concerns yet again that legacy mobile service providers don't understand the transformation taking place within the music industry, Digital Rights Agency (DRA), a digital distributor of independent label music criticized mobile network operator Sprint Nextel for failing to include independent label music on its mobile music download service.

"More than three months after launching the service, and after advertising on the Super Bowl and Grammy Awards, it's simply unacceptable that Sprint continues to exclude independent labels from its full-track download service," said Digital Rights Agency managing director Tuhin Roy.

While DRA has been told by Sprint that it does not have the resources to carry independent labels, DRA says it and other independent distributors have already licensed their catalogs to Groove Mobile, which powers Sprint's service. DRA claims its offering could be added to Sprint's service by "flipping a switch" at Groove Mobile.

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