Looking for a way into the mobile music market, Textango.com recently launched a text-based service that allows anyone in the United States and 30 other countries to purchase independent music by sending an SMS text message with their cell phone.

Consumers are billed on their cell phone bills, allowing for impulse purchasing when prompted at concert venues, over the radio, via print advertisements, etc., according to the Harmony Central announcement. "The music purchased is then downloaded off of Textango.com at any time by entering the mobile number. Some of the countries involved include United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, & South Africa."

Textango.com claims to offer better payouts to musicians - from 50 to 54 percent of an album's retail price, while keeping just 4 percent for itself. They bring in additional revenue by selling ad keywords and also make money off the "premium" text messages.

Prices are in the usual range; we saw everything from 99 cent tracks to $14.99 albums. Keep in mind that these are unprotected MP3 files. If you purchase them on your phone, you can transfer them to your PC or another MP3 player later. Anytime pure MP3 files are involved, you can buy them safely knowing that you'll be able to use them on multiple devices from multiple manufacturers. That's something that a regular purchase from Apple or Napster usually doesn't allow.

Textango.com Launches Mobile Billing and Music Delivery Platform [Harmony Central]