Sprint to launch direct music download to cell phones Monday

Sprint Nextel has gone and done what the Apple-Motorola-Cingular triumvirate failed to do with the ROKR iTunes phone–set up the first U.S. music service allowing direct over-the-air music downloads to cell phones. Forbes reports that Sprint will launch the new service on Monday, October 31 for use with new Sprint phones from Samsung and Sanyo. Subscribers will be able to download individual music tracks directly to their handsets for a hefty $2.50 apiece.

Subscribers will also be able to access the tracks from an account on Sprint's Web site for download to their PCs. (No word yet on whether the service will be compatible with Macs.) Initial offerings will be in the neighborhood of 300,000 songs from four music labels–Warner Music Group, EMI Group PLC, Vivendi Universal, and Sony BMG. Two phones that will likely be used with the music download service–the Samsung A940 and Sanyo MM9000–were spotted on Sprint's Web site earlier this week.

Speculation is brewing that the new music service is part of a planned nationwide EV-DO service Sprint is calling Power Vision.