Inside Nokia Music

It’s been over a year now since one of pop’s most beloved figures passed away. I’m talking of course about Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. As we approach what would have been the stars 52nd birthday and people worldwide prepare to perform tributes, we wanted to let you know that he is still the most popular solo recording artist of all time on Ovi.

Beat it is the most popular Michael Jackson track, closely followed by Billie Jean and the zombietastic Thriller. And it is in India that he is the most downloaded (26% of all MJ downloads from Ovi occur here!) “This Is It” is downloaded almost twice as many times as any other Michael Jackson album and contributes to the incredible 533 Jackson tracks available for download in the Ovi store.

With so many tracks to choose from it can be quite daunting knowing where to start, which is why we’ve created a dedicated Michael Jackson section of the Ovi Music Store. It’s also worth checking out the “Story Of Michael Jackson” app that details his life, as told by a fan.

So, Happy Birthday Michael and thanks for leaving behind such an amazing musical legacy.

Click here to go direct to the Ovi store where you can download MP3s, Games and Apps – don’t forget that tracks are free to you if you’re a Comes With Music subscriber.

It may be the Last Girl On Earth Tour, but your girl Rihanna’s not alone. Check out our two new exclusive videos at nokia.com/rihanna for a few words from bandleader, bass player and musical director Eric Smith, and original bandmate and keyboard player Kevin Hastings on musical direction and the incredible journey from before until after the release of Umbrella.

Love the videos?

Then leave a comment on your favourite one from any of the videos at nokia.com/rihanna and share the video with your friends, or…

Leave a comment below with a link back to your favourite video on nokia.com/rihanna, or…

Tweet about the video with a link and a mention of @We_R_NokiaMusic

And you’ll automatically be entered into the draw to win this amazing signed and framed copy of Rated R.

Have more than one favourite?

Well, we think that’s cool too!… so do as many as you like

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia/Ovi Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

Remember the Rihanna Rated R launch party? We had Jeezy. We had Jay-Z. We had your girl Ri. We also gave a bunch of Rihanna fans tickets to attend the intimate Brixton Academy show, and for those who couldn’t make it, we streamed it live so you wouldn’t miss a thing.

Now the event has been shortlisted for this year’s “Best Event” category alongside digital coverage of Glastonbury 2010, Sonisphere 2010, Sonisphere “The Big Four” 2010 cinecast, Pendulum’s “Immersion” album preview, and The Ukelele Prom.

Some pretty stiff competition there Ri-army, so you know what needs to be done!

Head on over to btdma.com and vote for “Nokia Presents Rihanna Live” to show the world that Rihanna stans mean business!

Here’s a second serving of the delicious musical dish we dined upon that evening. Head on over to nokia.com/rihanna for more exclusive videos. While you’re there be sure to grab and share the Rihanna Widget and find links to the Ovi Store for a free Rihanna app for your compatible Nokia device.

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia/Ovi Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

Yes, that’s right Madonna turns 52 today. Congratulations to her on still being as popular as ever. According to our download service she’s still the second most popular female solo recording artist, beaten only by pop sensation Lady Gaga who is a crazy 28 years her junior!

Worry not diehard fans, Madonna retains her Royal Crown in the offline world as she’s named the top selling recording artist in 2011’s Guinness World Records. Well done to the Material girl.

To celebrate her birthday we’re going to be running a contest on our twitter this afternoon (follow us @We_R_NokiaMusic) asking you to think of alternative age appropriate Madonna song titles like Papa Don’t Preach Because I’m 52 for instance. Just tag it #Madonna #Alternatetitles and at the end of the day one lucky winner will win 30 downloads at the Ovi Music Store and a pair of Nokia BH905 Noise Cancelling Headphones to listen to them the way they were meant to be heard.

So, Happy Birthday Madge and the rest of you, get thinkin’ about alternate Madonna songtitles, you can enter as many times as you like and we’ll be picking our favourite this evening.

Madonna has 487 tracks available from the store  - which comes in at a whopping 80 hours of music. You can access this all from  www.store.ovi.com and download it for free if you have a Comes with Music Subscription!

When I’m not in the gym pumping iron, tinkering with the transmission of my pick-up truck, hunting game or otherwise proving my immense, hairy-chested masculinity, there’s nothing I like more than watching the gloriously touching, moving and inspirational Twilight movies. Go Team Edward!

Well, maybe not. But I did recently sit through Eclipse, the latest instalment in the tale of a broody bloodsucker and his boring bird (I had to take my good lady wife to see it, you see. Honest.). Also featured this week: more neck-bitin’ antics with True Blood, cross-burning shenanigans with Against Me! and some good ol’ fashioned toil with Elizabeth Cook.

Various Artists – Eclipse Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Whatever I think of the film, there’s no arguing that the soundtrack album is pretty worthwhile. Despite the movie to which it’s tied, it’s a pretty mature collection of tracks, some of which are exclusive, so if you’re put off by the faces on the cover you’ll be missing out. Highlights include Sia’s ethereal ditty about troubled romance, My Love, and Beck and Bat For Lashes teaming up on the fuzzing, clinking, steam-building Let’s Get Lost. There are also exclusives from UNKLE, The Dead Weather, Vampire Weekend, Cee Lo Green, and Florence + The Machine, among others. In fact, about the only disappointment is Muse, who again drop an exclusive track to follow their contribution to the New Moon album.  Sadly this film’s outing – Neutron Star Collision – is a non-starter, sounding like the worst sort of Queen-esque excess.

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There’s not much to being in a boy band, surely? Look pretty, make sure you don’t wear the same outfit twice and lip sync along to the backing track and that’s about it. Right? “There’s a lot of hard work and thought that goes into our music,” disagrees Jay (far left in the photo above), one fifth of new boy band challengers The Wanted. The last six months, he says, have been frenetic, writing material for their upcoming album, meeting co-writers, doing promotional work and then recording the songs themselves. And I end up believing him, despite the fact that I’m talking to Jay while he’s backstage at a Saturdays gig and sounds like a 14-year-old who’s just been told he never has to go to school ever again.

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With the official announcement of the Take That and Robbie Williams’ reunion last week, Ovi Music did some more research into the listening habits of Ovi Store users, and the results are interesting indeed!

Pitting Robbie against his former band mates, the Ovi snapshot reveals that Robbie Williams has been downloaded at a ratio of 3:1 against Take That!

“But Take That only reformed in 2005 after 9 years disbanded” I hear you say!… That may well be, but the results show that Robbie’s downloads skyrocketed with the release of 2009’s Reality Killed The Video Star, maintaining his lead through several of Take That’s chart-toppers since said successful reunion.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not taking sides here as the two are intrinsically linked… but it does make one wonder about the remaining ratio, and who the winners and losers will be at the curtain call.

Some stats then?

The research unsurprisingly reveals that the UK claim the highest number of Take That downloads, followed by Finland, Germany and Singapore.

And in the Robbie corner it’s Germany that’s the biggest hotspot for his music, followed by Austria, Italy, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

ROBBIE VS TAKE THAT: TOP TEN DOWNLOADS GLOBALLY (Based On Ovi Music Downloads)

In the run up to their hotly anticipated reunion tour, check out Ovi Music to download from the entire Take That and Robbie Williams catalogue, if you have Comes With Music, they’re all free.

Also check out the Take That and Robbie playlist at

Use Ovi to keep up to date with the latest music and celebrity news. Download apps from popular entertainment titles such as ELLE and Gossip Buzz, and follow A-list celebrities such as TakeThat and Robbie on Twitter with Celebrity Tweets. Once you’ve got your favorite songs on your mobile, TuneWiki lets you sing along to them by reading the lyrics, or turn them into ringtones directly from your mobile device.

Attention Ri-army! We have yet another exclusive video for you on our Nokia Rihanna dedicated page. Click the image to watch your girl and her crew as they practice to bring this world class performance to those of you lucky enough to be attending the spectacle that is The Last Girl On Earth Tour.

When you’re there, be sure to grab and share the Rihanna Widget so you and your friends can keep up to date with news, photos and even more exclusive videos throughout the world tour. If you’re on Twitter, remember to include the #RihannaTour hashtag for your tweets to show up on the Tour Tracker and if you have a compatible Nokia phone, don’t forget to snag your free Rihanna app for all the exclusives on the go.

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that to be part of Scissor Sisters – a band known as much for the on-stage antics of its flamboyant vocalists Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as its infectious glam rock and pop songs – an insatiable desire to be in the spotlight is a must. But not so says Del Marquis, lead guitarist with the New York band. “I’m so thankful that I do not have to be front and centre, because that’s not where I want to be. I love to be in the shadows. If I’m in a pissy mood, and if I want to sulk and hide, I can do.” At first glance, it’s not an admission to set the pulse racing, whether you’re a writer after a story or a music fan keen to gain a peek at the inner workings of one of 2010’s most-anticipated album releases. But Marquis’ satisfaction at taking a backseat to the high-profile duo of Shears and Matronic masks his private joy at living a dream, though at times the past two years and the eventual release of Scissor Sisters’ third album, Night Works, have been harder than anyone in the band would have anticipated.

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Back from a break following the success of her European tour leg, Rihanna returns to rock North America with her Last Girl On Earth Tour as it’s kicked-off this weekend with shows in Seattle and Vancouver, Canada with support by Ke$ha and Travie McCoy.

Head on over to our Nokia/Rihanna page where you can grab the Rihanna Tour Widget and keep track of the tour, watch exclusive tour footage and stay up to date with Rihanna news. Don’t forget to tweet using the #RihannaTour hashtag so your tweets can show up on the Tour Map showing your support for your girl Ri and if you have a compatible Nokia phone, be sure to get your free Rihanna App

Share the Widget with your friends too, and help us to make the Last Girl On Earth Tour the most connected tour ever!

There’s loads of Rihanna to download at Nokia/Ovi Music Store including and exclusive version of Rated R with 2 bonus tracks. If you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!