p2pnet - rss feed: ‘Unlimited download’ The Tube limited to 120
p2pnet news view Music | Mobiles:- Today Nokia formally launches its The Tube phone with which buyers will be able to download unlimited amounts of music for a year.
The problem is: in reality, ‘”unlimited” apparently means 120.
Listening to music was way down the list
When cellphone makers tout music as a product feature, it’s pretty certain they mainly have younger users in mind, p2pnet said at the beginning of last month, going on that in an earlier 2007 post, we reported student-researchers at the University of New Hampshire ran a survey and, “their findings tallied nicely with the results of an IDC study,” ie, Mobile phones are primarily used as - mobile phones.
“Even worse from the cellphone company point of view, at #11, listening to music was way down the list of uses in the UNH study.”
Nokia probably hasn’t seen the research, “but even if it has, nothing loath, it’s picked the UK as the first place to launch its ‘Comes With Music’ offer,” we said.
‘A maximum of 120 in a year’
On the all-you-can-eat downloads which are, unsurprisingly, heavily spiced with DRM, “It sounded like an amazing deal for the consumer, but it surprised a lot of artists – and probably most record labels too,” said Helienne Lindvall in The Guardian last month, going on »»»
How would artists and labels possibly earn any money from the content that Nokia planned to give away? Well, I suspect that Nokia jumped the gun before realising they’d have to pay both the record labels and songwriters. As with most of these deals, the details have been shrouded in secrecy. And though Nokia’s Comes With Music UK launch party is due to take place in London next Thursday [that’s today], the Music Managers Forum (MMF) – the people who represent the artists - only found out the details last week, when one of the major labels involved invited them for a briefing.
MCPS-PRS, the organisation that represents and collects royalties for the composers, hasn’t yet come to an agreement with Nokia regarding how much the writers will be paid. When I asked MCPS-PRS about it I was told: “The deal will be done for launch!” Hopefully, it will be more advantageous for the composers than the YouTube deal they struck, which so far seems to be bringing in the pennies.
The Guardian goes on:
“These are the details of the Nokia Comes With Music scheme – as they have been given to the MMF by Sony BMG: the handset will have a ‘wholesale’ price of £50, of which £31 will be attributable to sound recordings (this does not include the songwriters’ payments, which the MCPS-PRS is currently negotiating). Therefore, the consumer will not be able to download an unlimited number of free tracks as first touted, rather a maximum of 120 in a year. This is because the lowest price per download that the labels agreed on would be 25.8p. If the consumer wants more tracks they can buy them (the price of which is yet to be revealed).
“However, it seems the staff at PC World are still under the impression that the consumer will get unlimited free downloads with the Comes With Music Nokia phone. I contacted Nokia’s press office to ask if you would be able to download unlimited free downloads. They replied: “Yes [users] will be able to download as many tracks as they want to.” When I asked them to clarify if these downloads would be free, there was no response.”
Remembering this was on Setember 25th, “I have received an email from Nokia’s PR saying they are in the process of responding,” says Lindvall, adding:
“They asked if we would take this blog down. Again I raised the point about ‘unlimited amounts of free downloads’. I am still waiting for an answer to that question.”
Yesterday, Nokia officially launched The Tube, aka the 5800 Express Music phone.
And various online media sites are still reporting downloads are unlimited, rather thean a measly 120 tracks over the course of a year.
“Comes With Music … provides a year of unlimited access to the Nokia Music Store catalog with the purchase of a supported phone,” says InternetNews.
Nokia, “unveiled a touch-screen handset with unlimited music downloads,” says the Washington Post.
The company, “formally launched its Comes with Music service, which will let consumers buy a Nokia device that includes a year of unlimited downloads of tracks from its music store,”states MarketWatch.
And more ……………………
Stay tuned.
p2pnet - Phones of the Phuture: same as today, September 2, 2008
earlier 2007 post - Nokia music phone? Forget it, December 5, 2008
The Guardian - Why Nokia’s Comes with Music package comes with a price, September 25, 2008
The Tube - Nokia launches The Tube, October 2, 2008
InternetNews - Nokia Takes On Apple With Touch and Tunes, October 2, 2008
Washington Post - Nokia Challenges iPhone, October 3, 2008
MarketWatch - Nokia tackles iPhone with touch-screen music phone, October 2, 2008
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October 3rd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Corporations and Governments unfortunately tell lies.
The real news in this story is that someone is actually reporting about the lies.
I observe that the Washington Post is doing their normally outstanding job of regurgitating a press release without asking any embarassing questions.