• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, December 3, 2007

Pushing into mobile commerce, Wal-Mart has launched a cell phone storefront selling games, ringtones and wallpapers in partnership with mobile media company PlayPhone.

The entertainment portal (wmtmobile.com), accessible online or through a WAP browser on most mobile phones, charges $5.99 monthly for three downloads of any kind. The site touts exclusive content including ringtones and wallpapers tied to new releases from the Eagles and Bruce Springsteen.

Wal-Mart is promoting the new mobile service in stores nationwide by allowing customers to enter a shortcode--40888--for mobile downloads, while extending the promotion of music artists in stores and online to mobile phones. Eagles' ringtones selling for $1.99, for instance, support prominent in-store promotions for the band's new album.

"Wal-Mart is using multiple points of contact to change how users consume mobile content," says Ron Czerny, CEO of PlayPhone, which has developed branded mobile stores for ABC, Cartoon Networks and Sega, among others.

He says the content featuring top artists such as Beyonce, Kenny Chesney and 50 Cent is aimed at users ages 13 to 35 and meant to appeal to a wide range of Wal-Mart shoppers. "We're trying to be as broad as possible," Czerny says. Likewise, the monthly subscription price is designed to "a simple and affordable package deal," he says.

The mobile effort is expected to grow. In a joint statement, the two companies said they plan to "create new opportunities for music fans to enjoy their favorite music and artists" over the next several months. While Czerny declined to provide details, he said the mobile site will increase the catalogue of ringtones, and will add video clips to the mix in 2008.

Wal-Mart launched an online music store earlier this year aimed at undercutting prices for Apple's popular iTunes download service.