Nokia seeking the right tune in digital sound

Dubai: The world's largest mobile phone producer, Nokia, is trying to jump on the bandwagon of digital music, albeit with moderate success.

Gulf News talked to Jake Larsen, Nokia's Head of Music Middle East and Africa, about the company's commitment to digital music and strategy.

GULF NEWS: What is the current approach of Nokia on digital rights issues, downloads and file sharing?

Jake Larsen: Nokia is committed to going DRM* free. Our vision is for people to be able to access all the music they want, anywhere, anytime and at a reasonable cost.

The Nokia Music Store, which is available in the UAE, offers access to millions of tracks, from global hits to local artists. You can browse, download, stream and sync either to your computer or directly to your mobile device.

[The download service] Comes With Music was developed out of our discussions with the music industry for a revolutionary idea that would give listeners an exciting new music experience.

The proposition is simple: when you buy a Comes With Music device, you get 12 months of unlimited access to millions of tracks from the Nokia Music Store to use on both your mobile device and your dedicated PC.

The songs are [yours] to keep, not [to be] rented [out]. So, after the year is complete, the licences do not expire and you can continue to enjoy all of your music.

Comes With Music, launched 2008, seems to be not really successful, according to recent industry figures. What went wrong?

We are very happy with the performance of both the Nokia Music Store and Comes With Music offerings and believe that our customers find great value in the services.

Competition among multimedia handsets and smart phones has become tough. What is Nokia's [product] line-up for the coming year?

We cannot discuss future products, but already this year we have announced a number of exciting products coming into the market including the Nokia X6, which is the ultimate device for music lovers and social butterflies.

It's a very powerful entertainment device, which combines 32GB of on-board memory with a slick 3.2-inch finger touch interface.

On the mobile computing front, we have announced the new Nokia N900, which runs on the new Meamo 5 software. With Linux software, Mozilla-based browser technology, it delivers a PC-like experience on a handset-sized device.

Do you think that live music performances will become more important in the future?

Absolutely. Music is about people connecting with people. There is no better way for artists to connect with their fans than through face-to-face performances.

Did the global financial crisis have any effect on Nokia's speed of innovation?

It did not. We are pushing ahead in our quest to change the global music market and to create an environment where everybody gets paid fairly whilst the consumer gets the music they want in a way that is convenient and cost effective.

Do you think lawsuits and other legal measures can annihilate file sharing of digital music on the internet?

Comes With Music offers the market a real and viable alternative to illegal file sharing. Comes With Music allows people to consume as much music as they want, anywhere, any time and without having to pay for individual track or album downloads.

How is the situation in the Gulf countries as regards file sharing and downloads, especially in the UAE? What is Nokia's market share in the region? What are you targeting?

We are happy to offer a broad catalogue of music from local and international artists that we believe presents the best music service in the region and aim to introduce as much music to as broad a cross-section of people as we possibly can.

For the UAE Nokia Music Store, music is provided by all major international and regional labels including Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, EMI, Rotana and leading content aggregator Qanawat, as well as thousands of independent labels. The music store covers different genres of international, Arabic and Bollywood music.

Are there any specific issues that make the Arab markets different from Nokia's usual business?

Every territory has its own cultural peculiarities and differences. The Middle East is no different. This is why we have an experienced local team that live in the market and applies their many years of music and cultural experience to offering our customers the best possible solutions. 

* DRM stands for Digital Rights Management.

Snap profile: Nokia's soul-master

As head of music for the Middle East and Africa for leading the Finnish mobile solutions company, Nokia, Jake Larsen is the man directing and driving all activities related to the execution of Nokia's music strategy across the Middle East region.

When Larsen joined Nokia, he already had an established background in the music industry which included stints in retail and label management. He also served on the board of the Association of Independent Record Labels, after launching his career in the field through the promotion of music events and concerts.

Larsen has a natural affinity for design which extends to architecture, cars, food and furniture.