• July 2, 2008

Nokia's "Comes With Music" initiative got a lift Tuesday as Warner Music Group became the latest major label to join the effort. With Universal Music Group and Sony BMG Entertainment already on board, that leaves EMI as the remaining holdout among the top labels.

Expected to launch later this year, the "Comes With Music" service will allow users to buy a year's worth of unlimited downloads on Nokia devices bundled with the handset maker's Ovi Web services platform. When the year is up, customers can keep the tracks without renewing their subscriptions.

"Nokia's 'Comes With Music' service will be a significant step forward in the evolution of digital music," said Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Warner Music Group's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "It's the first global initiative to fundamentally align the interests of music companies with telecommunications companies."

Under the deal, Warner will also distribute its catalog through the Nokia Music Store.

Nokia has said it plans to have all four major labels signed on before "Comes with Music" debuts.

--Mark Walsh