Comes With Music Launches Today In The UK
Our friends over at World Of Nokia, Dan and Christian, have reminded us that today is official Comes With Music day, at least in the U.K., where Nokia pays attention. If you’ve missed out on the past 15 months or so, Nokia’s Comes With Music program is designed to help encourage consumers to realize that their phone makes an excellent portable music player, and experience - with no risk - the convenience of downloading music tracks directly through the Nokia Music Store. Comes With Music devices, such as the 5310 XpressMusic that launches tomorrow, and the upcoming N95 8GB and 5800 XpressMusic, will come with an in-box voucher for unlimited downloads through the Nokia Music Store.
The unlimited shopping spree only lasts for 12 months, after which you can continue to use the Nokia Music Store at regular prices, or you can purchase a new Comes With Music device. While the program has come under fire lately due to the Windows DRM that Nokia is using in its store, it’s still a year of unlimited music downloads, which isn’t bad. The pricing isn’t bad, either, with the 5310 XpressMusic priced on a prepay setup for GBP129.95 (US$225) - contract free. That’s essentially the same as paying less than $20/month for unlimited music, ala Napster ToGo, and you get a free handset. Hard to beat, if you ask me.
In any case, the deal’s only available at Carphone Warehouse in the U.K., so if you live anywhere else, today is basically a normal day for you. Rough stuff. If you’re interested in how the whole thing works, the gang at MusicAlly have had a chance to play with the setup recently, you can read their exploits here and here.
Not so fast:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2008/sep/25/nokia.comes.with.music
Claims that CWM only allows 120 downloads per year…
Come on Ricky.. “where Nokia pays attention.”
Why do (even) you have to take every opportunity to add few words of venom to every article.. you are starting to sound angry and bitter like McCain!
Yes yes, I know, they should do more here in the US, but its not like they are not paying any attention. If anything, they seem to have at least tried to ramp up their efforts here significantly over the last 2 year or so.
Apparently US Music Store is in the books for 2009 so let’s hope we at that point have CWM as a choise too here.
@Viipottaja - Admittedly, it was a bit of a cheap shot. While I *do* see the improvements, I’m not impressed. They’re at least announcing US 3G handsets, but those are still typically not available till at least 2-3 months after the Euro version hits, if not more. Case in point, the N96, N85, N79, and 5800 NAMs.
It’s the same with services. The Music Store was launched nearly a year ago, and it still isn’t available in the U.S., with us waiting several more months, at the least. MyNokia isn’t available here, either, and neither is, obviously, Comes With Music. There’s not been any increase in retail presence whatsoever, either, and firmwares for NAM products are still few and far between, regardless of their Euro brethren, N95-3 the indefinite case in point.
I want them to succeed in the U.S. just as much as the next guy, but I’m not afraid to call it like it is, either.
@Turly - interesting read, and more interesting that there’s been no update since the 25th of September. I’ve spoken with several Nokians about Comes With Music, and was there at the official launch last August, and had a chance to chat with the team working on it at Nokia World in December last year.
They were very clear to state that it’s not ‘free’, it’s unlimited included with the handset (pure marketing specification, really). I’ve never seen anything to suggest it was limited in any way.
Ricky, I totally agree and then.. I don’t.
I.e. I agree on all points but not that they have not made at least some progress and hopefully they can build on that going forward.
E.g. on retail precense: when I go to my local Best Buy now, they have N95, E71 and some cheaper phones on display now. Not so just a short while ago. Sprint (I think it was, not sure) ads on the local news paper: 6205 (not sure on the number) flip being promoted. 1608 coming to T-Mobile. 6650 to AT&T. 6555 seems to be doing ok, and just saw a 3605 on the street yesterday. Not much, but a start.
Music Store is still not available in most countries, so US is not the exception, its more the ruel still.
NAM firmware updates are a fair point, although even there the opportunity cost consideration seems to be in play. But yes, they should do a bit more there for sure.