The deal adds 7,000 pieces of content from Sony BMG artists to Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment content catalog.

“Sony BMG is exponentially expanding their distribution by tapping into Thumbplay’s direct marketing expertise, our direct-to-consumer mobile entertainment service and our active subscriber base,” said Mitch Rotter, vice president of content acquisitions and merchandising at Thumbplay, New York.

“Thumbplay is bolstering our content portfolio by adding a rich catalog and current top artists which expands our position as the go-to service for mobile entertainment,” he said.

Thumbplay claims to have more than 4 million unique users. The company aggregates, promotes and sells mobile content to members through Thumbplay.com.

This deal will enable consumers to access ringtones, music videos, wallpaper, voice clips and mobile games from Sony BMG’s artists.

For the next two months Thumbplay customers can download an exclusive ringtone commemorating the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time.

“This deal further entrenches Thumbplay as the premier destination for mobile entertainment by expanding our offering to include some of the top artists of today and yesterday,” Mr. Rotter said.

Sony BMG was unavailable for comment.

In addition to Sony BMG, Thumbplay has licensing and distribution deals with record labels such as EMI and Universal Music Group.

The Thumbplay deal may reinforce the shift from simply carrier-controlled storefronts, promotions and merchandising.

“It also provides Thumbplay’s distribution partners such as AOL, MSN and iLike more content to contextualize the social and music discovery experiences of their services,” Mr. Rotter said.