Nokia has launched its new downloadable music service, which gives buyers of the new Nokia X6 Comes With Music edition access to a music catalogue with about four million tracks from top labels that they will be able to download for free.

The Middle East launch covers 11 markets that include Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

Comes With Music gives people a year of unlimited access to the entire à la carte Ovi Music catalog with the ability to keep all downloaded tracks even after the year is over.

The Nokia X6 16 GB Comes with Music with the service will be commercially available the first week of March, for an estimated price of $600, excluding sales taxes.

“Comes With Music is a revolutionary way for people to discover and enjoy music,” said Jake Larsen, head of music, Nokia Middle East and Africa.

“The proposition is simple: you get four million tracks, for free, for keeps. When you buy the Nokia X6 Comes With Music device, you get 12 months of unlimited access to millions of tracks from the Ovi Music.”

“You can enjoy the music on the Nokia X6 device or your dedicated PC.  The songs are yours to keep. So after the year is complete, the licenses do not expire and you can continue to enjoy all of your music,” Larsen said.

Music is provided by all major international and regional labels including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music, EMI Music, Rotana, Mazzika, Melody Music, Platinum Records, and leading content aggregator The Orchard, as well as thousands of independent labels, a statement said.

The content covers a cross section of Western and Arabic music, as well as among others, Indian, Pakistani and Fillipino catalogues.

Ayman Chalhoub, head of retail sales for music at Nokia, said, “We are happy to offer a broad catalog of music from international artists but also the widest range of music from regional artists that we believe presents the best music service in the region.”

“We believe that Comes With Music will transform the way people enjoy music here. With unlimited access to the à la carte Ovi Music catalog for a year, you can enjoy your favorite artists or delve into new genres without having to worry about individual track or album purchases,” he added.

Capable of playing up to 35 hours of music, the Nokia X6 combines 16GB of on-board memory with a slick 3.2” finger touch interface.

It has a 16:9 widescreen optimised for photos, videos and browsing. With direct access to Ovi Store, the Nokia X6 is a hive of activity that brings 20 friends and virtual communities, like Facebook, to your homescreen, the statement added.

“The Nokia X6 and Comes With Music is a powerful combination, enabling music fans to download all the music they could ever want – quickly, easily and for free. We’re giving people convenient access to and ownership of a vast music library and an exciting new touchscreen device to play their music on,” added Chalhoub. – TradeArabia News Service