Sprint Nextel set to ditch PC song downloads: Music service to be handset-only beginning Oct. 15

Sprint Nextel Corp. is set to ax the download of songs from its Sprint Music Store to desktop computers beginning Oct. 15.
The service’s home page includes a link titled “PC Downloads Update,” that includes the following explanation: “Beginning October 15, 2008, Sprint Music Store purchases will no longer include a second PC copy. All Sprint Music Store purchases will continue to be conveniently delivered directly to your Sprint handset.”
The page adds that customers who have purchased tracks from the service will have until Oct. 14 to download the PC copy to their desktop.
The Sprint Music Store service currently provides one copy of purchased tracks to the customer’s handset and one that can be downloaded to a computer using Microsoft Corp.’s Media Player DRM wrapper for 99 cents. Customers can backup tracks downloaded to their handset on their PC, but those tracks can only be played on the handset that originally purchased the content.
Sprint Nextel originally charged $2.50 per track when it launched the music service, but cut the price to less than a dollar to align with what online music services typically charge.
Verizon Wireless offers a similar two-track service, but charges customers $2 per song.