OSLO, Norway, November 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Music Service WiMP has partnered with music festival and conference by:Larm to sponsor the Nordic Music Prize 2011, the Nordic version of the Mercury Prize. WiMP, with its strong Scandinavian foothold and focus on local music, sees the prestigious arts prize as an ideal partner. The prize is awarded to the best Nordic album of the year based on votes from a jury headed up by the most influential voices in the Nordic music industry alongside international forces, including Jonathan Galkin, the founder and owner of DFA Records; Zach Kelly, writer for Pitchfork and Paper Magazine; Laurence Bell, owner of Domino Records; Andres Lokko, Scandianavia's most influential music writer; Jeannette Lee, former member of Public Image Ltd and owner of Rough Trade Records; and Mike Pickering, Columbia Records A&R, formerly of Factory Records.

The inaugural Nordic Music Prize for the Best Nordic Album of 2010 was awarded to Jónsi for his debut solo album, GO. The prize was presented by H.R.H. The Crown Prince Of Norway during by:Larm in Oslo in February 2011.

"The Nordic Music Prize promotes a lot of the same passion for music that we do at WiMP, and the award is based on an impressive and extensive jury process. It represents a level of quality that we are also keen to focus on with WiMP, and in a short time the prize has also gained international recognition. As we are committed to raising the profile of local music in each our markets, it's natural to support the Nordic Music Prize, and the twelve nominees for the award will be properly honored in all channels," says Per Einar Dybvik from WiMP.

In addition to sponsoring the Nordic Music Prize, WiMP will also contribute to the seminar program during by: Larm, particularly in relation to digital music services and the Scandinavian model. In Norway and Sweden, digital music revenues have now surpassed physical revenues, according to IFPI, and streaming revenues are higher than download revenues, a situation that is currently unique across the world.

"Scandinavia is leading the development of new music services internationally, and can demonstrate a positive transformation of the music industry that is attracting attention all over the world. WiMP wants to contribute to making by: Larm in Oslo a venue where the whole world's music industry can meet to discuss the future of music services," says Per Einar Dybvik.

The international music industry's eyes are currently directed towards Norway and Scandinavia, where the ongoing development of streaming services confirms that Northern markets are leading the current music revolution. The streaming services, and their success with "The Scandinavian Model", may prove to be key factors in the way music will be consumed in the future, and this theme is also one of the pillars of the year's seminar program. WiMP will be a natural participant in this seminar series, hosted by Music Ally.

"WiMP is linked to the central values ??of the Nordic Music Prize," says Erlend Mogård-Larsen of by: Larm. "There could not be a better partner for us, and we look forward to working together with the service to further strengthen the position and prestige of the Nordic Music Prize."

The Nordic Music Prize will be awarded on Thursday, February 16th in Oslo's "Kulturkirken Jakob" during by: Larm, and recognises the Best Nordic Album of 2011. The 12 nominees for the award will be announced on 1 December 2011. A longlist of entries is selected by an industry jury comprising of 50-150 business people in each of the Nordic countries, with the main jury deciding the overall winner. More on the jury can be found at nordicmusicprize.com. Last year's winner was Jónsi, who was presented with the award by the Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon.

WiMP focuses on editorial content and musical discovery, and also aims to be first with news and  introductions to the best in Norwegian music.

WiMP is growing rapidly and has over 350,000 paying customers in four countries, up from 100,000 at the end of last year. WiMP is available in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and in Portugal under a different trademark. WiMP is also preparing to launch in Germany, Ireland and Benelux. In July, WiMP was ranked the best music service at the Meffy Awards in London. Read more at http://www.aspiro.com/music 

About Aspiro
Aspiro has unique positioning as the world's only provider of complete TV and music streaming services for partners that want to put their own branding on the service. Aspiro also provides the music streaming service WiMP directly to consumers on selected markets. Aspiro has over ten years' experience in mobile technology and retail in northern Europe, and delivers services to partners worldwide like Deutsche Telekom, Telenor, 3, TeliaSonera, the BBC, Entel and Canal Digital. Aspiro is listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm.

For more information contact: Kristin Castillo Eldnes, Head of Corporate Communication and IR at Aspiro, tel. +47-90807389, kristin.eldnes@aspiro.com

SOURCE Aspiro Music