The cell phone industry must improve the mobile music experience for consumers or it risks losing out to new competitors like Apple, Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. warned Wednesday at the 3GSM World Congress.

According to Bronfman, although there are already millions of music phones available throughout the world, only about 8.8 percent of people with the devices actually buy their music over the air. The reason, he said, is because such purchases are expensive, complicated and slow.

“We need to make it easy, affordable and quick to get music on mobile phones,” he said. “Until we achieve this goal, we will be leaving billions of dollars on the table.” It can take a person 20 clicks to buy a ringtone, depending on the carrier. He also complained about the fact that ringtones, full-track songs, music videos and album art are all sold in separate virtual stores.

Bronfman pointed to Apple as an example of how to do it right, noting that “It’s amazing we have generated as much money as we have, given how cumbersome it is to buy music,” he said. “Imagine what we could do if it was fun and easy for consumers.”

“Apple has raised the bar in terms of what users expect even before the product has been released,” Bronfman said. “While this presents a challenge, ultimately I think it will be positive for the industry because it’s getting people excited about music phone devices. Now it’s up to providers and manufacturers to fill the emerging demand.”

via CNET News