The Nokia Music Store has launched in plenty of countries throughout the world (though not the U.S., annoyingly), though its critics are quick to point out the DRM protection that is embedded in the songs, limiting the number of devices you can transfer your purchased tracks to. Previously, there were rumors that Nokia would be dumping this DRM in favor of a DRM-free setup, ala AmazonMP3, but there have not been any official confirmations, until now.
CJ at ZOMGitsCJ received an email from Nokia India stating that Nokia Music will soon become Ovi Music, and will be dropping the DRM protection from its music tracks in the process. This is definitely an exciting move, and I’m hoping it affects all regions in which Nokia Music has been launched, not only in India. While no exact timeframe has been announced, there are still a few pertinent questions that will need to be answered:
1. Will there be an option for users to legally strip the DRM from tracks that have already been purchased?
2. Will this move speed up the launch of Nokia Music in other countries, such as the United States?
3. What will this mean for Comes With Music? Will tracks ‘bought’ through Comes With Music continue to have DRM protection?
Since Nokia did not make any new hardware or service announcements at Mobile World Congress this year, we’re expecting them to host their own event in the next 30-60 days, and hopefully they’ll give more details on Ovi Music at that time.
Do you use Nokia Music for downloading music? If not, would you be more inclined to do so if there were no DRM protection to hassle with?
