Unlimited Universal Song Downloads on (some) New Nokias

Yesterday, Nokia and Universal Music Group announced that starting from mid-2008, owners of certain new models of Nokia phones will be given free unlimited downloads of Universal songs for 12 months via the telecommunications company’s online music store. For 12 months, users will have full access to Universal’s music catalog (a diverse collection of artists, ranging from Sigur Ros to 50 Cent), the downloaded songs theirs to keep after the one-year period. They will also be able to download songs onto their computers as well as their phones, though all MP3s will be DRM-protected.

As part of the deal, Universal will take a chunk of the profits earned from sales of the service-enabled Nokias, which will most likely be a select few of their most premium mobile devices. What might be most interesting about this partnership (which Nokia is currently pitching to other Music labels) is Universal’s acceptance of the fact that many of their consumers will never be convinced to pay for digital music. As one analyst explained to the NY Times:

“It’s one thing to have people downloading free music illegally,” said Mark Mulligan, an analyst at Jupiter Research. “What is bold and strategically important about this is that they are tacitly accepting that they will never get digital youth to pay for music.”

[via NY Times]