• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Nokia To Launch Digital Music Service

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 October 2008, 14:35 CDT

Nokia is set to square off against Apple’s iTunes on Thursday as it prepares to launch its new mobile music service.

Nokia’s “Comes With Music” feature will offer unlimited music from the four major music labels and many independents which can be kept after the yearly contract has expired.

The individual tracks can be downloaded to a single computer, and are free -- although the cost of that music is reflected in the price of the phone itself.

But Nokia has its work cut out for it if it wants to become a worthy opponent to Apple’s iTunes, iPod and the more recent iPhone.

"While the Comes with Music offering is a proposition that Apple lacks, the new device and the scope of the service are still significantly behind," Nomura analyst Richard Windsor said, explaining that it would only be available on a few Nokia devices compared to Apple's wider range.

"(But) the price of the device and the service are relatively attractively priced and we think that there will be good demand."

The first mobile phone to be launched with the new service is the 5310 XpressMusic phone.

But the 5310 will only initially be available on a pay-as-you-go contract for 130 pounds ($228.70) through the independent British retailer Carphone Warehouse, or without a SIM card on the Nokia Web site, which may put off those who are used to monthly deals.

The N95 smartphone with 8 gigabytes of memory - a capacity of about 2,000 songs - will also carry the service, but its price or type of contract has not yet been revealed.

The global music industry has been experimenting with several versions of free all-you-can-eat music in the last 12 to 18 months in a bid to compete with piracy including free streaming music on social networks like MySpace Music, Imeem and Last.fm.

The presence of an "all you can eat" service also comes at an interesting time for digital music in Britain, with the government increasingly looking to tackle online piracy.

With the threat of punishment ringing in their ears, parents could be encouraged to opt for a service like Nokia to avoid their children using illegal alternatives.

---

On the Net:

• Nokia Comes With Music

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

More News in this Category