Record labels take on Nokia music download service

Record labels EMI, Warner Music and indie label Beggars Group are taking on Nokia’s music download service, Comes With Music, with the launch of its own offering. Consumers will have access to unlimited music downloads for £99.99.

The new service, Datz Music Lounge, can be played on any mobile phone or portable music player. Like Nokia’s offering, subscribers will be given access to it for a year and keep all the music they download.

To access the service, consumers will be able to buy a USB key and CD from Sainsbury’s and other high-street retailers from today (October 31). Tracks can then be downloaded onto a PC and transferred to a mobile phone, iPod, or MP3 player.

The service also has a fair usage policy, where membership will be suspended if a user downloads more music than can “reasonably be listened to in a lifetime”. It is understood that more record labels will join the venture over the next few weeks.

Nokia will launch its Comes With Music service, which allows pay-as-you-go users free and unlimited music downloads for 12 months, next year.