Shouldn’t that be in the millions?

It was going to be such a great big world-changing launch - Nokia’s Comes With Music service was set to change the way we think about music, bringing unlimited, free downloads straight to your handset - it seemed like such a winner…but it actually wasn’t…

The service has only attracted an insignificant 23,000 users in Britain according to MusicAlly - a measly number when you think of what they are offering.

CWM provides access to as much music as you could imagine that you can get your greedy little hands on as much as you like. However, didn’t you wonder why no other mobile manufacturer was following Nokia into the music pit of despair…

Nokia are quick to remind us that the rest of the world seems to be behind the service but that’s probably because they weren’t palmed off with a pretty lame handset that was already a year old.

So if there are only 23,000 of us here in Britain that have opted for the unlimited music service from Nokia, what else is available that is keeping everyone else happy?

iTunes

Apple uncovered a bit of a gem when they created iTunes. It is now regarded as having the largest collection of music to buy across the web, over 6 million tracks and it’s always growing. Although it is an Apple product that connects perfectly with your iPod or iPhone, it’s also a great music player that works nicely on Windows or Macs…

And if you think iTunes only stocked the tunes then you’d be wrong - they’ve now delved in to the world of audiobooks, podcasts and the ever-popular world of AppStore full to the brim of apps for your iPhone…

Napster

Napster has been around since the beginning of MP3 popularity - back when you could download a track without the threat of jail-time hanging over your head. Now Napster boasts a great service and a strong collection of 4 million songs that you can pick your way through until the cows come home.

Napster gives you two options - you can either buy your music track per track or you can subscribe and get as much music as you can handle…in fact it’s just like Nokia’s service expect without all the DRM fuss.

Amazon MP3

The days of prowling Amazon for books and DVDs is well over - now you can meet most of your needs through this website and digital music is just one that it meets quite nicely. Although the MP3 service is relatively younger, compared to the likes of iTunes and Napster, the service is strong and there is over 3 million tracks available.

As with Napster there are no DRM restrictions which means that you can do what you want with your tracks and Amazon is known for intertwining affordability with high quality!

Comes With An Opinion?

What do you think about Nokia’s attempts to control the music industry’s future? Did they let their egos make the decision or are we all just missing out on a great deal? Let us know…