Nokia to launch music service in the U.K. next month

Nokia Corp. is teaming with The Carphone Warehouse to bring its all-you-can-eat mobile music service to U.K. users next month.
Comes With Music, as the effort is branded, packages one year of unlimited downloads with the purchase of a handset. Users will have to pay a subscription fee to continue downloading songs following the 12-month window, but Comes With Music – unlike other subscription-based services – will allow users to keep their tracks after the first year regardless of whether they buy a new phone, continue the subscription or simply opt to stop downloading.
Carphone Warehouse will serve as the exclusive prepaid channel for the service, selling the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic handset through its 800-plus outlets in the United Kingdom. The retailer is already accepting pre-orders, and Nokia said it will offer more details about Comes With Music early next month.
“We expect the Nokia 5310 Comes with Music to be the gift for Christmas and at the top of all shopping lists,” said Andrew Harrison, U.K. CEO of The Carphone Warehouse. “We know how much our customers love music and we hope to make music millionaires of people everywhere.”
Nokia’s offering mirrors MusicStation Max, a “pre-licensed mobile music” service unveiled earlier this year by Omnifone. Nokia plans to expand Comes With Music to Asia and mainland Europe next year.