MS, Nokia music deal

Microsoft and Nokia today announced a (OMA) Digital Rights Management and the MPEG Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) family of codecs in Windows Media Player via a plug-in.

The mobile music service from Nokia and Loudeye is based on the OMA DRM and MPEG AAC standards; it enables customers to search, listen, download and pay for music using an operator branded music application on their mobile device. Windows Media Player, used for the PC component of the music solution, will allow wireless operators to brand their music service when it is integrated into the Windows Media Player.



"This agreement makes it easier for consumers to download music they want to listen to, without having to worry about whether or not the file format is supported - it's all about enabling choice without compromising compatibility," said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Multimedia Business Group, Nokia. "The broad reaching popularity of Windows Media Player, its comprehensive feature set and support for service integration made it a natural choice for us when looking at the PC component of the mobile music solution we are offering to mobile operators."



Using the new solution, mobile network operators can deliver music to the customers using the mobile music solution from Nokia and Loudeye. Customers will have instant access to purchase content through Nokia handsets or Windows XP-based PCs. The MTP protocol support on select handsets will enable customers to have "a simple and easy sync experience with their phones when transferring music to and from Windows XP-based PCs using Windows Media Player," according to the companies.

by MacNN Staff