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Nokia Readying Unlimited Music Download Service

by Terrence O'Brien on December 5, 2007 at 02:38 PM

Nokia Prepping Unlimited Music Download Service
Nokia is about to make a whole bunch of people very unhappy, but it doesn't matter since those people aren't consumers. Nokia is preparing to launch an unlimited music download service to pair with some of its multimedia-focused handsets like the 5300 seen above. Nokia's new service is a challenge to the pay-per-track model that has made Apple so much cash with its iTunes store. It will also take money straight out of the service providers' pockets, who often offer their own pay-per-track download service.

The particularly threating thing about the new Nokia service is that not only can users download an unlimited amount of songs from a catalog of millions, but the tracks can be burned to CD and kept after the contract with Nokia expires or is terminated.

Nokia has already enlisted Universal Music Group in the service and is talking with the other major record labels. Currently, mobile music downloads make up roughly 13 percent of music sales, and this may be a sign that record companies are finally accepting that listeners are not willing to pay the absurd prices normally demanded for music. It may also get them to realize that allowing consumers to download music for free (or nearly free) through legitimate channels is better than forcing them to turn to outlets such as Pirate Bay.

From Reuters

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Tags: cell phone, CellPhone, download, itunes, mobile, music, nokia

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