Nokia Corp. announced Tuesday that Sony BMG has joined the mobile phone maker's music service, which will enable users to download and listen to tracks on Nokia handsets.
Customers who have Nokia's Comes With Music program on handsets will have a year of access to Sony BMG's full catalog of music. They will be able to download tracks to cell phones and computers during the first 12 months of owning such a device, Nokia said.
"As one of the leading major music companies in the world, our collaboration with Sony BMG means we can offer a huge range of fantastic music from both international and local artists via Comes With Music," said Tero Ojanpera, head of the Nokia's entertainment section. "It's great to have them on board as we move forward with bringing our unlimited music bundle to the market."
Last year, Nokia signed up Universal Music Group in a deal that includes a year's unlimited access to millions of tracks for Nokia handset buyers, and said Tuesday that it is also "in discussion with many other international labels."
The world's top mobile phone maker is increasingly turning to providing services for its mobile customers via the Internet. It estimates that the worldwide market for Internet services will reach €100 billion (US$160 billion) by 2010.
Last year, the Finnish company unveiled new Web-based services and gadgets to help customers download music and play games on handsets — part of a strong push to challenge rivals, including Apple's iTunes and iPod.
Comes With Music will be launched in the second half of 2008 on a range of Nokia devices in selected markets, Nokia said.
In 2007, Nokia sold nearly 440 million handsets accounting for 40 percent of all global cell phone sales. The company is based in Espoo, which is near the capital, Helsinki, and employs 116,000 people worldwide.
Source: iht.com
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