Sony Ericsson set to launch music offering: Service seen as competitor to Nokia’s package

Sony Ericsson finally unveiled its response to Nokia Corp.’s Comes With Music service.
The company outlined PlayNow plus, a hardware-and-content offering that will bundle as many as 1,000 pre-loaded songs with the purchase of a phone. Buyers will be enrolled in a monthly all-you-can-eat subscription service and at the end of the contract will be allowed to keep an unspecified number of songs in DRM-free format.
The service will be powered by Omnifone – a U.K.-based outfit that offers its own music-and-hardware package, dubbed MusicStation Max – and will launch with the Swedish carrier Telenor in the fourth quarter before expanding to other markets. All four major record labels have signed on with PlayNow Plus, and Sony Ericsson will produce a special edition of its W902 Walkman phone at launch.
“With such a vast collection of songs accessible through their mobile phones, consumers will have the opportunity to enjoy their favorites and also discover new music and new artists,” Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s Thomass Hesse said optimistically. “We think this service is a great solution for consumers because it makes the listening and discovery experience more fun than ever before.”