Sony Ericsson's Play Now Plus to compete with Nokia's Comes with Music

Nothing like a pair of high-brow Europeans slapping each other in the streets, huh? In response to Nokia's forthcoming Comes with Music service, Sony Ericsson is confirming rumors by announcing a competing unlimited music download service dubbed Play Now Plus. The service, which will be available "solely through telecoms operators," will provide subscribers with access to millions of tunes, and customers can even keep up to 300 jams after their 6- to 18-month contract expires. According to SE's marketing head Lennard Hoornik, it'll be rockin' on Telenor within a few weeks, and it will spread from Sweden into more of Western Europe in Q1 2009 and into other world markets in Q2 2009. We're told that the service will run early adopters 99 Swedish crowns ($15) per month, and so far as we can tell, you don't have to have a specific SE phone to get in on the action.

[Adderz @ Sep 24th 2008 5:32AM]

I dont understand why people thing things like this are good...its just like renting, dead money.

You get NOTHING at the end of it....so if, years later you want to listen to an old classic youll have to buy it again....

Id rather have a small collection i actually own FOREVER than a huge collection that lasts me 12 months.

/rant

[Darth Stupider @ Sep 24th 2008 5:33AM]

wow a crappy subscription service. Don't most people ALREADY own their favorite tunes?

[GoVegan @ Sep 24th 2008 5:40AM]

Not so long ago Sony shutdown their CONNECT Music store. What is up with Sony and Microsoft too for that matter? Can't they decide on a music strategy and stick with it.

First!

[[e-mail] @ Sep 27th 2008 6:10PM]

This is NOT a Sony service, it is a Sony-Ericsson, much more tight to Ericsson than only Sony, thats why they will launch the service first in Sweden of all countries and after that release it in more countries.

[GoVegan @ Sep 24th 2008 5:41AM]

First non-meat eater that is!

[Jonny @ Sep 24th 2008 11:22PM]

nomnomnom. chicken. nomnomnom.

[Sam @ Sep 26th 2008 11:06AM]

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/w980

BEST AUDIO EXPERIENCE

....

[Roygbiv @ Sep 24th 2008 6:08AM]

Adderz - "Get nothing at the end of it"? You get to keep your 'small collection' at the end according to the story.

I'm not sure this is kind of idea is as bad as some people make out. If the cost of a subscription is essentially zero to the person using it (as it can be part of a handset cost, mobile contract or any subscription like broadband etc) then ideas like this mean that people can just pick music right out of the air and listen to it.

I would rather have a small device... like a mobile phone... that can access all the music I could ever want, rather than carry around a static library of music. A deal like the one that SE seem to be offering also means that I keep the best of the music that I like.

small to zero cost to the user... unlimited music direct to your handset... keep the best of it...

Thats got to be a win win win?

[j.d.ripper @ Sep 24th 2008 7:11AM]

It's a matter of personal preference. Some people like to "own" their music. I know I like to have ownership. It's like the other day I was thinking , hey haven't heard a "Journey" song in a long time. So, I just pulled out my God-knows-how-many-years-old CD and listened to it. Easy as that.

[De @ Sep 24th 2008 10:52AM]

If you read the article it says you get to keep (own) your music.

[Shinigami @ Sep 24th 2008 7:41AM]

If the music is free, its DRMed. If its bought, its not DRMed. In either case I would prefer DRM-free music.

[put4558350 @ Sep 24th 2008 10:58AM]

hope amazon make windows mobile, java, google android app for phones and sale mp3 to there phone