Nokia music comes flatrate.

Music fed for a year. This will offer mobile phone market leader Nokia is now also attract customers and provides current to four phones at a music flatrate. The offer is tempting - but also has its pitfalls.

 

Tired of music for mobile phone users: The world's largest mobile phone manufacturer Nokia in May, brings his music flatrate "Comes With Music" on the German market. Customers of the bid should have access to a digital music library with more than five million songs get, said the head of Nokia's music division, Liz Schimel, on Thursday at the presentation of the music offered in Hamburg. Nokia enters against offerings like Musicload from Deutsche Telekom and the iTunes Store, which also offer music for mobiles.

First "Comes With Music" only in conjunction with one of four current Nokia phones available. A year long can the buyer of such a mobile phone via a flat rate unlimited songs from the Nokia Store - whether via mobile phone or computer. After the end of the year, users can continue their songs and keep playing.

The service, from 4 May be available, according to Nokia is also a response to the problem of music piracy: "Comes With Music is a bridge between the booming popularity of digital music and the legal purchase and the possibility of earning opportunities for labels and artists," said Heikki Tarvainen, General Manager Nokia Germany.

Cheaper initial tariff

The distribution of the service in Germany, the first provider mobilcom-debitel. The offers to introduce the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in combination with mobile flat rate tariff for a flat M euros. The monthly cost of M is flat on 24.95. If you are such a variant decide, but music can only have the home-pc. Users who also want to download songs on, the company offers a data flat rate for 9.95 per month. The total monthly charges for call charges, SMS sending, web surfing and music downloads so that adds up to 34,90 Euro.

It is here that Nokia is not related to any of the four major commercial operator could be agreed. Quite possible that the retention of T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2 and E-Plus to the fact that this mobile service providers already partially own music download stores in their networks to offer. A competing music-Flat is unlikely because a supplier to bind to bone. Nokia is also in talks with other operators, said Tarvainen.

Doubts about the success so far

In Britain, where Nokia's "Comes with Music" since October 2008 is offered, the offer will only sell poorly. Only 23,000 UK mobile phone customers had been on Nokia's Music-Flatrate obligation, claims based on digital music specialist market research company Music Ally. A number that Nokia does not confirm liked.

In Britain Comes with Music is, however, even with the relatively outdated phone models N95, N96 and 5310 offered. Here are the current device N95 8GB, N79, 5630 XpressMusic and 5800 XpressMusic. All so far more attractive offers.

Nevertheless drags "Comes with Music", a huge spread with clubfoot: DRM. All songs that are from the Nokia Store downloads are compatible with Microsoft's rights management provide. The Technology Blog
Tech Digest therefore complains that the songs downloaded via Nokia with Nokia's own media player can be made audible. Other players refuse it, like trying to burn to CD.

A year and then forever

In the other corners of the digital music world separates you under the tutelage of such zealous attempts noticeably, the music of such customers to free technical pitfalls. Even Apple, otherwise a very eigenbrötlerische product policy known, has its entire digital music catalog on the iTunes Store DRM-free titles converted.

Almost all other manufacturers are following suit or are the same. There seems Nokia's DRM-crippled offer something to be late. Pragmatically, however, is the Finnish Music Flatrate not only a nice, but rather an incentive for ordinary users who are already with the purchase of a new mobile phone flirt - and then yet again to use a Nokia.

For fun, the states: A year long download music, songs and performers to try that one yet knew. And above all: After a year, not conclusions, everything during the first 365 days has downloaded, you can keep forever - as long as the DRM stops.