Nokia, the Finnish cellphone maker, and Universal Music Group, which serves no purpose in 2007, have cut a deal that will allow users of certain Nokia phones to download the entire music catalog of Universal. The program, which is set to launch for consumers sometime in the second half of 2008, will have users trading in vouchers (that comes with eligible cellphones) for the ability to download Universal music for a whole year. Supposedly, the songs don’t “expire” once the year is up.
Neat move for both parties I guess. Apparently the files will have DRM on them, which isn’t surprising in the least. If I can’t use the songs on my portable device, whatever that may be (it’s an iPod but if something better comes along I’d willingly switch), then what’s the point?
It’s gonna be great when Tomorrow People ask, what’s a record label?
Free Universal Music Downloads on New Nokia Phones [New York Times]
The whole thing would be absolutely great and a real Apple-challenger IF:
It works on both PC and Mac, you don’t have to buy a new device when the 12 months have passed and you can burn the tracks to a disc without an additional payment.