Readers who follow my writing know I am convinced mobile search is fast becoming the de facto interface to content – but it really works best when users know what they want. That’s not often the case with entertainment content; it changes faster than search engines can index it. What’s more, even power search is powerless unless users know the artist and title, for example. No way to find music to fit the mood. That’s where recommendation engines come in – and why Pandora and last.fm have been snapped up over the last weeks. Look for some interesting product releases soon and a funding announcement next week that will set the stage for the next “big thing”: suggesting content to users in a mobile web 2.0 kinda way.

Against this backdrop, it’s interesting to read that Gracenote is bringing its music-recognition technology and music database to mobile phones. In a statement the company said its Mobile Music 2.0 platform will integrate the PC, online music stores and mobile phones. Search will be a big part of this as well. In this scenario users type in an artist name, track, album, or a line from the lyrics of a song, and, once the results are returned, can “connect to relevant content in an online store such as Sony Ericsson’s PlayNow or an operator branded online store.” Song ID rounds out the offer, allowing users to figure out what they’re hearing and then connect to the online store to make a purchase. The capability will initially be offered on the Sony Ericsson W910 Walkman and K850 Cyber-shot phones, due out in later this year. (Release)