Nokia Comes With Music to go DRM-free
updated 01:30 pm EST, Mon March 2, 2009
Nokia music going DRM-free
Music sold through Nokia's Comes With Music service will eventually go DRM-free, according to one of the company's executives. Adam Mirabella, the director of Nokia's Global Digital Music Retail division, says that the company is currently in negotiations with various groups, and has fixed removing DRM as a long-term goal. No specific record labels have been named, nor has a firm date been set for when the transition will occur.
In contrast to most digital music services, users of Comes With Music pay for a subscription, which provides unlimited music instead of individually-bought tracks and albums. The complication at present is that when a CWM track is downloaded, users are allowed only two copies: one for a phone, and a second for their computer. Chief rival Apple has meanwhile made the bulk of its content DRM-free, giving sales through the iPhone a significant advantage.
Mirabella's comments come amidst an expansion of CWM, which is now available in Singapore. The service launched in the United Kingdom, and recently migrated to Australia.
