Inside Nokia Music

Oh, dear! Some images accidentally made their way onto the Ovi promotions website a week or so back that sent several tech websites into a frenzy of speculation about the successor to the popular Nokia 5230. Newsden even went so far as to say “it is anticipated to be an entry level device, so don’t expect a lot in features”… well, we beg to differ!

Introducing the new Nokia 5250

The full touch screen smartphone with a keen focus on social networking and excellent music capabilities, combined with great design and available in 5 different colour variants (Dark Grey, Blue, Red, Purple, or White) to match every personality at an affordable price.

But there’s even better news! –  The Nokia 5250 comes with access to Ovi Music where you can discover and download music from a catalogue of millions of tracks, with thousands more being added each week! Plus by adding an additional 16gb memory cards you can store thousands of tracks on your 5250. The Nokia 5250 will ship with the all-you-can-eat music offering, Ovi Music Unlimited, in selected territories

Understanding the ever-growing importance of social networking on-the-move, the Nokia 5250 doesn’t compromise on this functionality with pre-installed apps such as Facebook, Hi5 and MySpace together with your favourite contacts on your home screen, as well as supporting multiple log-ins to several of your favourite email accounts.

Pre-installed with Guitar Hero 5 Mobile, the Nokia 5250 is primed to rock you straight off the bat, and access to Ovi Store opens up a world of possibilities with even more games, applications, widgets, videos, ringtones and a whole lot more.

The Nokia 5250 touchscreen smartphone is available for an estimated 115 Euros (excluding taxes and subsidies). Check out nokia.com/5250 for full device specifications.

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!

Singers, Silver Screen Stars, Summertime Themes and Surfboards were all the rage as the 12th annual Teen Choice Awards ceremony kicked-off in Los Angeles last night, featuring performances from this year’s host, Katy Perry, as well as Jason Derulo, Ditty-Dirty Money, Travie McCoy & Bruno Mars and of course, über teen idol himself “The Bieb” Justin Bieber. Read the rest of this entry »

Solo albums, the inevitable self-indulgent need to liberate oneself creatively from the mostly unsung heroes largely responsible for the success of the band from whence one came, all the while preying on their established fan base. As a flag-flyer for the lesser credited band members this is something I have my reservations about… Apparently!

Nonetheless, as a ‘Comes With Music’ subscriber and an adamant discography collector of multiple physical formats from the bands I hold in high esteem, I can afford the luxury of completing these discographies for that purpose alone, and still take a chance on new music without the fear of a fad purchase that sits embarrassingly among the pride in my collection… and so, as a dedicated Incubus fan and collector I order a physical copy in the best possible edition I can find. Since a competitor had exclusivity for it’s first week of release, I forget about it until it arrives… Read the rest of this entry »

According to trends seen on Nokia’s Ovi Music Store, 2010 is tipped to be the summer of dance as festival season gets into full swing and dance music downloads soar. The genre has now jumped two places up to the sixth most downloaded music category online – behind Pop, Rock and Hip Hop.

According to Ovi, Russia is currently the biggest downloader of dance music, followed by Austria, Netherlands, UK, Switzerland, South Africa, Finland, Italy and Mexico.

Driving this rapid rise is French DJ turned global superstar David Guetta. The research, conducted by Nokia across 36 countries, revealed that Guetta – famous for his chart-topping dance songs When Love Takes Over (featuring Kelly Rowland) and Sexy Bitch (featuring Akon) – currently dominates half of the top ten most downloaded dance tracks on Ovi Music. This makes David Guetta the most downloaded dance artist of all time on Ovi Music, outselling the next four most popular dance artists combined.

TOP 10 DANCE MUSIC ACTS OF ALL TIME

(Based on Ovi Music downloads)

In terms of total downloads on Ovi, dance music is currently the sixth most popular genre, up from eighth place the same time last year – ahead of Indie and Latin music.

“This trends snapshot reveals a growing interest in dance music across the world which has traditionally been a niche genre online” said Ovi Musicologist, Geoff Roberts.

“Artists such as David Guetta are helping bring dance music to the masses, spiking an increase in downloads over the past year. This is only going to increase as we get deeper into festival season – last year dance music downloads peaked between May and September, and this trend looks like it is set to continue this year.”

GLOBAL POPULARITY OF DANCE MUSIC

(based on total Ovi Music downloads)

Check out our playlist of the current most downloaded dance songs, alongside updates on the latest dance additions to the store.

For those who enjoy dance music there are also many great apps on Ovi to enjoy. From the Playlist DJ to instantly create playlists of your favourite tunes, to SmartGrooves Pack 1 to mix built in beats and loops, to Gig Finder to search for local concerts and purchase tickets direct from your mobile, there is something for everyone.

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.

It seems like it’s been a while since Coliseum inked to Relapse and released the breakneck paced ‘No Salvation’. In that space of time they’ve parted ways with Relapse, got a new drummer, signed to the altogether less pigeon-holey Temporary Residence, become just a little less urgent, picked up some new friends and released the rather fantastic ‘House With A Curse’.

My favourite thing about this record is that I just can’t figure out how to define it. Is it hardcore? Sure it is. They haven’t changed _that_ much, and they used to be pretty much the archetypal hardcore band. It’s more that this record sounds a lot like a stoner record. And not the massively sludgey,doomy, stoner sound that you’d expect, no, there’s almost a Fu Manchu/Kyuss vibe here. Add to that the weird addition of Southern Gothic and you’re getting the idea.

The record was produced by living legend that is J.Robbins (Jawbox/Burning Airlines/producer of everything good ever) and have guest spots from the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy and Jason Noble (oh, and J himself)

I’ve read a lot of conflicting reviews of this record, many very disappointed (most of these from slightly heavier fans it has to be said). If you always liked Coliseum, but got sick of d-beat a couple of songs in, and yearned for the day that you could make out the lyrics, then this is the record for you.

Stand out tracks as far as I’m concerned include ‘Blind in One Eye’ (this one is super Fu Manchu), ‘Everything to Everyone’, and ‘Skeleton Smile’  (which features Will Oldhams dulcet tones)

If you’re in the mood for something that can’t quite make up its mind what it is, but that works regardless, you should pick this up.

Somewhere in between Glastonbury and the work I’ve had to catch up as a result of being away for it, The Smashing Pumpkins sneaked this beauty in below my radar and as a result, I feel a little violated for missing out on a few extra days of absolute bliss!

If you haven’t heard Freak yet, the first track from Vol.2 of the one-track-at-a-time mega 11 EP 44 song project Teargarden By Kaleidyscope then do yourself a favour and stop reading this, do not pass go, do not collect $200 and listen to it immediately!

Freak is classic Pumpkins with murky overdrives, Zwan-like optimism and Na-Na-Na-Na sing-alongs. Having thrown countless hard earned reddies at The Smashing Pumpkins for half my life now, I’m completely stunned that tunes of this quality are up for grabs free for the anticipated 5 year duration of this project (if it’s seen through to the end).

It’s worth pointing out that 19-20 year old drummer Mike Byrne is beginning to show signs that he may well be capable of filling the horrific void of Jimmy Chamberlin’s departure and that The Smashing Pumpkins 3.0 are about to hit their stride.

The Smashing Pumpkins are available to download from the Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you’ve got Comes With Music download the lot for free!

It came as a lovely surprise a couple days earlier to learn that I had a ticket to see Mystery Jets at Somerset House. Though never exploring the band before, having heard praise of their live performance and finally getting the opportunity to experience a gig at Somerset House on a beautiful summer’s evening was enough to make one’s self rather up for the occasion.

Due to the ease of stage/bar/bathroom access, there was no chore in finding a comfortable, uncrowded space to stand between the headliner set and that of the surprisingly delightful Kiwi-born-London-based 4 piece Connan & The Mockasins who played support with their erratic-trippy-surf-rock and songs about “Forever Dolphin Love”. Apparently now going by the name of Connan Mockasin, they’re worth further exploration and come highly recommended.

Now, once again a lack of intimate knowledge of Mystery Jets’ music means I’m unable to dissect the track list, but a grand entrance to the ringing of air raid sirens, the aforementioned beautiful summer’s evening, and big tunes that entice the ear even upon first listen, made for a magical gig experience and a bit of self-reprimanding for not exploring them sooner!

Mystery Jets are available to download from the Nokia/Ovi Music Store and if you have Comes With Music, they’re all free!

A new addition to the Nokia XSeries family comes today with the announcement of the new Nokia X5. Colourfully expressive, musically charged and built with ease of use in mind for social networking & messaging on the move. In a world gone mad for touchscreen phones, the Nokia X5 thinks outside the box and offers a full sliding QWERTY keyboard for those who desire traditional keypads, as well as unique design without compromising on social networking features – Be there, be square!

Social features?

Access to Social Networking sites Facebook, Twitter, Hi5 and Myspace are all covered, all your favourite IM accounts supported, and the ability to log in to multiple email accounts makes it fun and easy to stay connected on the move.

As part of the ongoing XSeries standard, your favourite contacts can be accessed from the home screen, and now includes the new Message Box feature – Just shake the phone to reveal the number of unread messages!

Tell me about the music!

Excellent sound quality? – Check!

Loud speakers? – Check!

Easy access to the device’s music collection? – Check!

Space for all my music? – 2GB memory card for up to 1000 tracks. Upgradable to 32GB

What about special features? – Of course!… Spin your X5 during music playback to select a track at random with the new ‘Surprise Me” application (Your head should be filling up with party game ideas right about now!) and ‘Dance Fabulous’ which lets you use your own music on the device to play the game and create dance moves.

The Nokia X5 will also be available in a ‘Comes With Music’ edition in selected markets – TBA

That’s great, but what about self expression?

We all know that in the decade of the twenty-teens it’s all about the bold and the overstated, and so the Nokia x5 will be available in Pink, Azure, Graphite Black, Yellow Green, and Purple with an estimated retail price of €165 before taxes and subsidies.

For more details check out the Nokia X5 Data Sheet

The Nokia X5 is available soon in the Southeast Asian Peninsula, Eurasia and Latin America