GLOBAL – On December 31 2010, Nokia stopped selling subscriptions to its Ovi Music Unlimited service in some countries, while the service continues in a number of others. Existing customers will have uninterrupted access to the music library until their subscriptions finish, will be able to keep their music downloads forever, and are still able to buy DRM free songs through the huge catalogue on the Ovi Music Store.
This is part of preparations to deliver new, innovative music experiences as part of Ovi during 2011. This comes in response to customer feedback and promises to deliver better, more locally relevant experiences. However, the new deals and other arrangements necessary for this to happen meant that old ones needed to be ended. We’ll release more details on these new services as they are announced.
Ongoing commitments in particular markets mean that the change is not universal. Nokia will continue to offer 12-month subscriptions in China and India, while offering six-month subscriptions in Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.
There will be no disruption to the service for these customers, nor for anyone elsewhere in the world who has an existing subscription, nor for anyone who purchases an Ovi Music Unlimited device from existing stocks. If, for example, you bought an Ovi Music Unlimited device last Saturday, you’ll still get full value from the subscription that came with the device.
Ovi Music – the DRM-free, a-la-carte music store – is not affected in any way.
Here’s Ovi Music’s Adam Mirabella to explain the changes:
Ovi Music guru, Shane Mclaughlin, will be reading your comments on this post over the next couple of days and has agreed to reply with any necessary clarifications.
UPDATE: Teams are working on the details of the service continuations stated above. As of this time, some countries mentioned may not continue to offer the service.
As stated, all existing Ovi Music Unlimited customers, wherever they are, will be able to use Ovi Music Unlimited for the full terms of their subscriptions.