Nokia advertising "Comes With Music" on Spotify

I can not believe what I just heard while listening to music this morning. Nokia is advertising their “Comes with Music” service on Spotify. That would be like Boeing putting up a billboard on the opposite side of the Taliban’s cave advertising free flying lessons. Or it would be like MySpace telling everyone who just graduated High School that they should move over to Facebook. Or it would be like advertising the Atkins diet in a Vegetarian Lifestyles magazine. Better yet, it would be like buying a new CD from your local music shop because you woke up one day and decided that you wanted to support your favorite artist, and after unwrapping the plastic, and then opening the jewel case, all you see is a bar napkin that has thepiratebay.org scribbled on it, lipstick stain included. I could go on forever with these anecdotes, but I’d rather you share your reactions below.

I’m still taking this all in.

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About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

atammin

looks like you’re a bit tired, are you? the anecdotes ain’t too accurate this time. I think a better would be to compare this to Microsoft advertising Windows 7 for Mac users. Or Bing advertising on Google search.

But hey, as long as it generates page views, right?
Stefan Constantinescu

was going for the “shit in a nice package” thing, but i see your point. i’m going back to bed.

edit: you know, what you said stuck with me. i’m rewriting the post.
Bazza

Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t they two different things? CMW is an all you can eat and keep music subscription service. Albeit DRM laced for play and transfer to nokia devices only, but on still owns it on their phone and hard drive.
Spotify is an all you can stream and cache subcription service. It’s great. Though you just have playlists of songs, nothing you actually own or can download to disc and such. Right?

I think they both can coexist quite happily. Seen an ad by nokia on spotify isn’t weird once you consider that spotify now runs in most nokia hansets, thus increasing spotify’s install base. Only fair.
Rauha

I use the ad based verson of Spotify and I’m perfectly happy with it. Having said that, I would pick CMW over Spotify Premium. Both are about roughly the same price and have DRM, but I would get to keep the songs after subscription ends.

Spotife Free>CMW>Spotify Premium.
atammin

I did not mean to make you lose any sleep over my comment. But glad if it helped
Steve Rowlands

Fair do’s this is entirely ridiculous. It makes Nokia look quite desperate with their marketing strategy for ‘CWM’ in all honesty.
Rauha

For me it seems like logical option for advertisement. People upgrading from free Spotify are obvious target for CMW. In Nokia’s position I would also be offering option for…”Hi I’m Johnathan from spotify Its now also possible to upgrade to Spotify premium”…

Not that I would really upgrade to either.
Ricky Cadden

As much fun as it is to crap all over Comes With Music and most of Nokia’s music-related initiatives, I have to say that I agree this is quite obvious advertising. Clearly folks who are using Spotify like the idea of unlimited access to music – why wouldn’t they want to enjoy said experience on their phone?

Of course, CWM is rife with issues that make the idea rather laughable, such as the DRM, geographic limitations, device-specific limitations, etc. However, it’s still quite intelligent targeting, I think.
Stefan Constantinescu

I should mention that Spotify also plays commercials, constantly, saying you should upgrade to Spotify Premium solely for the fact that there is a Spotify client out now for mobile phones.