First phone gig sells out for pop band

If you'd rather watch a gig in your pants on the sofa than in a crowd of several hundred sweaty music fans, mobile operator 3 has pioneered the idea for you.

This week saw the first 'phone cast' concert by teen-friendly rock band Rooster, with the band's gig at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London streamed live to 3G phone users.

While the 45 minute phone gig wasn't cheap at £5 a ticket, it still came in a few quid cheaper than a ticket to be there in person.

3's attendees were sent a concert reminder 10 minutes before the gig, when they were able to buy a ticket, having registered their interest in seeing the gig-in-miniature beforehand.

The concert was streamed to 1,000 3 customers - its maximum 3G ticket allocation - making the concert both a real and virtual sell-out. Highlights packages and video downloads on offer for those who couldn't make it to the phone gig.