Nokia signs Sony BMG for free music offering

Nokia will offer free 12-month access to music from artists of Sony BMG, the world's second-biggest label, to buyers of its particular music phones, the world's top cellphone maker said on Tuesday.
ast December, Nokia unveiled a similar deal for its "Comes With Music" phones with the top record label Universal.

"Comes With Music is expected to launch in the second half of 2008 on a range of Nokia devices in selected markets," Nokia said in a statement.

Nokia gave no financial details.

Sony BMG, home to artists including Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and Celine Dion, is jointly owned by Sony Corp and German media group Bertelsmann AG.

The new music offering from Nokia -- the first cellphone maker to push heavily into content -- would differ from any other package on the market as users can keep all the music they have downloaded during the 12 months.

Such unlimited download models could offer a shot in the arm to the music industry, which is struggling to find ways to make up for falling CD sales.

Nokia said it expects all top labels to sign up for "Comes With Music" offering.

"We are quite confident that we will have all the labels at the table for Comes With Music. We are progressing in those negotiations," said Liz Schimel, head of Nokia's music business.

Sony BMG joins Universal in offering catalog on Nokia phones

Sony BMG is joining Universal Music Group in allowing users of select Nokia mobile phones access to its entire music catalog later this year.

Nokia Corp.'s "Comes With Music" program will allow users who buy select cell phone models to download any song from Sony BMG's catalog onto their phone or their computers during the first 12 months of owning such a device. Nokia announced a partnership with Universal last fall, and now has brought Sony BMG aboard.

"When you give consumers the key to the candy store without any limitations, there's a lot more opportunity for discovering music that you might not have found before," Thomas Hesse, president of global digital business and U.S. sales for Sony BMG Music Entertainment, told The Associated Press on Monday. "We think this will energize the discovery of music."

Nokia said the phones should be available in the U.S. by the second half of this year. While fans would be able to download an unlimited number of songs by way of their phone or on their computer from hundreds of thousands of tracks, they would not be able to burn the music to a CD or use it with iTunes, Hesse said. However, after the year is over, the music fan can keep the music.

"It's not like some other subscription services where you lose everything," said Tero Ojanpera, Nokia's executive vice president, entertainment and communities. "Here you can keep everything. This is like really getting access to a store where you can really now explore freely."

Ojanpera didn't disclose the price range for the phones, but said they would vary according to the model.