Download music for free!

by John Fitzsimons on 08 July 2009  |  1 comment
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The Comes with Music service from Nokia and Orange might just change your life.

A week or so ago I wrote a piece called Seven cheap alternatives to iTunes, looking at ways to cut the cost of listening to music either on your iPod or computer.

A couple of days later I got a call from the Nokia press office, asking why their new service with Orange, Comes with Music, was missing. And the honest answer was I'd never heard of it (Zane Lowe does advertise the service on Spotify, but for some strange reason I tend to zone out when his 'dulcet' tones come on).

So the lovely people at Nokia sent me a trial phone with the service to try out. And it's amazing.

First up, the phone - a Nokia 5800 - blew my mind. I'm not massively into my phones, but this thing is extraordinary, with brilliant web access, easy to use touch screen, all sorts. Precisely because I am not exactly cutting edge with phones I decided to do some proper research, and the reviews for the 5800 are almost unanimously brilliant.

There's also a wide range of applications available for the phone, making it a viable (and cheaper) alternative to the iPhone.

But of course, the real tester is the music. The Comes with Music service offers unlimited free downloads from the Nokia Music Store as part of the package. That's as many songs as you could ever want, gratis!

The music store has a pretty comprehensive range of music - more than six million tracks - from a heap of different musical genres, though there are a few bands that are a little understocked (there's precious little Oasis available for example).

So how does the package work?

The cheapest plan that you can get on the Comes with Music service is £19.57 a month (so long as you order online, otherwise it jumps to £24.47) and offers 200 anytime minutes and 200 texts free, as well as the unlimited free downloads.

That strikes me as a pretty attractive deal.

There are further plans on five pound a month incrementals offering more free texts and minutes, with the most expensive plan costing just shy of £40, and offering 1200 anytime minutes and 500 texts.

The slight downside is that the minimum contract is 24 months, which is quite a while to commit yourself for.

Also, because the tracks are protected by DRM, you will not be able to move them over to your iPod, which is a bit of a pain.

If you are happy to use your phone for absolutely everything, then this deal is, in my opinion, brilliant. If you are coming to the end of a phone contract, then make sure you give it a look!