14 DAY TRIAL // Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has made yet another step towards strengthening its position in the mobile music space via the launch of its 'Comes With Music' service in China. Known locally within the country as Yue Sui Xiang, the service will be available on eight handsets from Nokia at launch, including the Nokia X6 32GB and Nokia X6 16GB, Nokia 5230, Nokia 5330, Nokia 5800w, Nokia 6700s, Nokia E52 and Nokia E72i. However, the best part of the deal is that the music download service will be DRM-free.
According to the leading handset vendor, the launch of its device and PC-based free, music download service in the biggest mobile market in the world adds further momentum to the company's leadership in markets with a high growth rate, including Brazil, Russia and Indonesia. Not to mention that the service will soon become available for users in India too, Nokia adds. The Chinese launch is based on a partnership with Huadong Feitian, so that users can enjoy a rich offering of local artists, along with a high quality music download experience.
“This launch delivers a truly mass market music offering from China's most loved mobile brand. Our broad range of Comes With Music enabled devices and the high quality, DRM-free catalogue form the perfect legal download recipe for the world's biggest market for mobile phones,” says Liz Schimel, global head of Music, Nokia. “Globally, we have expanded the reach of our music service to 30 markets in just 18 months. We are excited to see consumers building collections of the music they love through our service, and we are firmly on the path to delivering legal digital music to all parts of the world. It's fantastic to have so many local and global labels partner with us to deliver this service in China.”
Chinese mobile phone users will be able to enjoy Nokia's Comes With Music service on a wide range of devices, the company states, adding that the price tags will start as low as EUR 140, excluding local taxes and subsidies. The service will deliver catalogues from global labels like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Music, as well as local independent labels, such as Huayi Brothers Media Group and Taihe Rye.
“Establishing legitimate online music services in emerging markets is imperative for the music industry's ongoing effort to remake itself,” said Mike McGuire, research vice president with Gartner's Media IAS team. “It is important for the music industry for services to get up and running in emerging markets such as China and India in order to develop compelling, legitimate online alternatives for artists and music labels, and consumers in these new markets.”