Nokia 'sinking teeth' into Apple

Link: MediaGuardian.co.uk | New media | Nokia sinks teeth into Apple.

Nokia is launching a global music service, fronted by David Bowie, in the first stage of its strategy to take on the might of Apple’s iPod.

The service, called Music Recommenders, brings together tips and new music downloads recommended by 40 independent music stores across the world.

It has been masterminded by media planning agency Naked and music strategy agency Frukt, and will initially offer downloads at 89p a track – 10p more than Apple’s iTunes – in the UK and Australia only.

I wonder, I wonder. So apart from a wickedly good headline by The Guardian, I wonder about the thinking behind this.

Tips, download recommendations and the like, ain’t necessarily going to cut it with me. You never know how the target audience will react though – positively, one hopes.

This is the sort of ‘initial stage’ stuff Nokia should have been doing years ago. Bit late now that I, like a ton of other people, have got iTunes or Napster sat on my desktop.

I know strategy agency Frukt. Good reputation. I’m gonna see if I can finally actually meet one of the guys there. We have been missing each other for years.

Whatever your viewpoint, Nokia are extremely well positioned to make a smoothie out of Apple’s music strategy ….. if Apple do nothing. Which they’re not.

Another day brings another load of people sat on my train home listening to music on their Sonys and Nokias having dumped their nanos, shuffles and big ipods.

In fact, Big Ipods — the 80gb ones — are rapidly going out of fashion here. It’s Nanos all round.