Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Nokia and Warner to Offer "Mobile Music"

WarnerNokia and Warner Music Group, one of the biggest record labels in the world, have announced that they have signed a deal according to which Nokia will be offering Warner's music via the Nokia Music Stores and the Comes With Music service that should be launched in the second half of this year.

The agreement with Warner was closed after Nokia had also closed deals with other two giant labels, namely Sony BMG and Universal. EMI, the world's fourth largest music label, is also expected to collaborate with the Finnish company in order to offer its music to mobile users.

Tero Ojanperä, executive vice president and head of the Nokia Entertainment and Communities business, said about the new musical deal: "Warner Music Group has been a pioneer in developing new digital music business models and we are very pleased to have them supporting both the Nokia Music Store and Comes With Music. Comes With Music enables people to access great content, provides artists to wider exposure with new and existing fans, and creates new revenue for all stakeholders."

Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Warner Music Group's Chairman and CEO, added: "Nokia's Comes With Music service will be a significant step forward in the evolution of digital music. It's the first global initiative to fundamentally align the interests of music companies with telecommunications companies. Through this innovative service and business model, all parties are equally driven to create the best and most comprehensive music offering designed to meet the ever-expanding consumer appetite for music and music-enabled devices."

Warner's list of artist and bands includes lots of famous names like: Busta Rhymes, Phil Collins, Nelly Furtado, Green Day, Linkin Park, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Metallica, Radiohead, Moby, HIM and many others.

When launched, Comes With Music will allow users to have access, for a full year, to all the music from the above-mentioned three major labels, with a one-time purchase.

As for the Nokia Music Store, the online portal can currently be accessed from the following countries: Finland, the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia and Singapore, with other countries to follow soon.

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