Along with the launch of its touchscreen 5800 XpressMusic mobile handset, Nokia has announced its innovative music download service. Called ‘Comes with Music’, the service allows unlimited music downloads across the entire Nokia Music Store catalogue for a set term. Unlike other music download subscriptions, the Nokia’s service also enables users to keep their music downloads once the term has expired.
“Comes With Music sets a precedent for consumer value and convenience that the rest of the digital entertainment industry is already copying,” said Andrew Connell, Head of Entertainment & Communities Category Management, Nokia. “The freedom and simplicity of the service is unparalleled. Comes With Music gives you unlimited access to the millions of tracks in the Nokia Music Store and the music is all yours to keep – because it’s not a revolution unless you get to keep your music.”
The 5800 ExpressMusic, the 5310 XpressMusic and N95 8GB will be the first handsets bundled with the Comes with Music subscription, and will be available in Australia during Q1 2009. The subscription will be included in the purchase price, or consumers can choose to leave it out. Final pricing will ultimately depend on Australian telecos, however the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone with a 1 year Comes with Music subscription is said to cost just under $US400 in other markets.
Users will be able to download music from the Nokia Comes with Music store, either through an internet web browser or ‘over the air’ with their handset. Also included is Nokia’s PC Suite software, which is used to manage music stored on PCs and Macs. Nokia’s PC Suite will sync music between devices, as well as search for other songs that may be on a user’s hard drive and add it to the library, as well as download album artwork.
Unlike Apple’s iTunes software, users are not required to provide a credit card number to download album artwork.
Nokia’s Music Store has recently seen the addition of music label EMI to its list of content partners, which also includes Universal, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, along with local labels for its 11 stores worldwide.
