Comes With Music service in the UAE next year: Nokia

Officials at Nokia Middle East have revealed that the company's unique Comes With Music service could be launched in the UAE as early as next year.

Currently available in 10 countries including the United Kingdom, Singapore, Italy and the Netherlands, the service allows customers who buy Nokia phones branded Comes With Music to download an unlimited number of songs for a period of one year. Customers will be able to keep all music even after the download period has expired.

Frederic Copper-Royer, Music Manager for Nokia Middle East and Africa, said his company is currently focusing on adding more devices that support the service.

"Compatibility of Comes With Music devices depends on the market. We are investing in music services for the long term, and we hope to see Comes with Music coming here soon," he said.

Customers in the UAE can download music from Nokia Music Store's UAE website either from the web or from compatible devices. The online store, which went live in December last year, now has more than four million tracks covering a number of artists in various languages.

Demand is growing for Bollywood and Filipino catalogues, Copper-Royer added, while there are also plans to launch online music stores in other Middle Eastern countries by next year.

"In the UAE we see music demand that is very spread across different cultural groups," said the official. "Anglo-Saxon pop music is the most demanded, but there's also great demand for Gulf artists. We have put a lot of effort in ensuring we give locally relevant content with latest releases."

Jake Larsen, head of music at Nokia, Middle East and Africa, said the growing catalogue on the music store and the Comes With Music service reiterates Nokia's will to tackle piracy.

"Piracy is rife. What people really want today is the free stuff. With services such as Comes With Music, you literally get an unlimited number of music tracks free for a year when you buy a branded device," he said.

"You can share the music you have downloaded, which is an added bonus."

Nokia, currently the world's largest mobile phone maker, has partnered with major international music labels including Universal Music Group International, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI. The music phone category is a growing segment, said Larsen.

"By the end of 2008, Nokia sold 425 million devices with a digital music player, effectively making us the world's largest manufacturer of digital music players," he said.

In April last year, Apple announced its iTunes Store, had become the largest music retailer in the US, citing data from the NPD Group. With over 50 million customers, iTunes sold over four billion songs and features the world's largest music catalog of over six million songs, it said. Music download capability on iTunes however is currently not available in the UAE.

All tracks on www.music. nokia.ae can be previewed for 30 seconds before purchasing. While single tracks cost Dh3, albums cost Dh30 and a monthly streaming subscription costs Dh20.

The introduction of the service will require operator participation, said Larsen. While customers can use computers to download the music, buying music tracks via mobile phones could mean increased data usage.

"We are in talks with operators to work a proper model and outline revenue streams," he said.


RIHANNA STREAMING LIVE

Pop star Rihanna will showcase new material from her forthcoming album Rated R exclusively to an online audience at midnight.

To be broadcast from an undisclosed location in London, the star Barbadian singer will perform songs from her latest album, which will be streamed live globally.

Rated R, Rihanna's fourth album, is set for a November 23 release worldwide.

Fans of the singer will also be able to download the album with an exclusive track either to their PC or from their mobile via the Nokia Music Store or Comes With Music service.

To watch Rihanna perform live, go to www.nokia.com/rihanna.

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