Nokia ready for music revolution

Nokia ready for music revolution

by: Birgit Ottermann

Cape Town – Nokia Music Store is coming to South Africa in April and it promises to deliver millions of digital tracks from global hits to local artists including the Parlotones, Goldfish and Arno Carstens.

The launch of the music online platform on 24 April will change the way music is discovered and consumed in South Africa, says Jake Larsen, head of Music for Nokia in Africa and the Middle East.

“People who have previously had little or no access to music stores will now be able to choose from millions of songs and access all the music they want, anywhere, anytime.

” At the time of the launch, we will have over 4.5 Million tracks available on the store,” he told News24.

Available to everyone, not just Nokia users

More good news is that, even if you don’t own a Nokia cellphone, you can still enjoy the music by downloading songs via your personal computer.

“The Nokia Music Store is accessible via music optimised Nokia devices (including the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N96, Nokia N95 8GB, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N82 and the Nokia N79), as well as personal computers,” Larsen explains.

“Through PC downloads, consumers without a Nokia device can also access and purchase music from the store.”

In addition, the ability to sync from a PC is available on a wider range of Nokia models including the latest XpressMusic handset and the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, says Larsen.

And, what about the iPod and iPhone fans who are already miffed because they can’t download songs from the SA iTunes store?

According to Larsen, Nokia uses the Windows Media Audio format, so music downloaded from the store will play on any devices which are Windows Media Audio compatible.

“Unfortunately, the iPod/iPhone lacks support for the WMA audio format. As a result, songs purchased from the Nokia Music Store will not play on an iPod/iPhone.”

At least they can still download their favourite songs on their PC.

Did Nokia encounter any problems with SA music retailers regarding the opening of its online music store?

“We experienced no direct resistance from music retailers,” says Larsen.

“In fact, various opportunities exist for traditional retailers to share in the success of the Nokia Music Store such as becoming retailers of Nokia devices and accessories and possibly even NMS vouchers,” he continues.

Apart from the wide selection of international hits, Larsen also promises the best of South African music, to satisfy local music fans’ taste buds.

“Nokia has deals in place with all the major record companies – Sony Music, Universal, EMI and Warner – as well as a number of local independents such as African Cream, Coolspot, Sheer and Next Music.

Diverse range of SA artists

“We pride ourselves on having a very broad and locally relevant catalogue which features a diverse range of South African artists ranging from rock bands like The Narrow, Snotkop and Springbok Nude Girls, electronic acts Kalahari Surfers, Goldfish and Felix Laband, a full Afrikaans genre including the likes of Kurt Darren, Piet Botha and Karen Zoid, hip hoppers Prophets of da City, Proverb, kwaito boys Tzozo and Professor, MCs like Teba, all the way through to traditional artists like Simphiwe Dana and Ladysmith Black Mambazo – the list goes on.

“Presenting the best in local music is a strong focus and we have a local team who concentrate on integrating both local and foreign music and introducing consumers to material which they might not have ever considered before,” Larsen says.

And how much moolah will fans have to spend?

“You pay only R10 per track and R100 per album – and all music downloaded is yours to keep,” says Larsen.

All music on the Nokia Music Store can be purchased through a variety of payment options, including credit cards and pre-paid vouchers.

Nokia Music Store also offers a monthly subscription service that allows you to stream unlimited music from the Store catalogue direct to your internet-connected PC.

The store’s intuitive user-interface makes downloading full-length tracks easy and offers options to create customised playlists and to add tracks on a wishlist that you can decide to buy later.

Tracks purchased can also be transferred via your PC to compatible Nokia devices.

South Africa is the 12th country to see a local launch of the Nokia Music Store. Most recently the store was launched in Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.

For more information visit the Nokia website.

Check out a review of the site I did here..

xx

yours in musical madness

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