EVP of Services Niklas Savander takes aim at Apple, while revealing Comes With Music subscription renewal plans.
It seems Spotify won't face a tense wait for approval when it submits its Symbian app to Nokia's Ovi Store. Nokia's EVP of Services Niklas Savander says consumer choice is all-important even when apps compete with Nokia's own services.
"If somebody doesn't like Nokia Music Store and wants Spotify, they have to be able to put that on their phone," he tells Music Ally.
"It's one of the deep philosophical differences between us and some of our competitors. If someone doesn't like Ovi Maps and wants Google Maps, they must be able to install that on their phone. Limiting consumers' access to services will always catch you in the end."
Apple, of course, approved Spotify's iPhone app last week following weeks of speculation, but remains in hot water over its decision to not approve the Google Voice telephony app.
Meanwhile, Savander has also revealed that Nokia has struck a deal with music labels to ensure Comes With Music customers can continue their subscriptions after their initial 12-month period elapses.
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"We have an agreement with labels on the subscription model, for a renewal on a monthly basis," he says. "We have had a lot of feedback from operators on the need to transition when people reach the end of the 12 months, so this is going to make a big difference with the carriers."
Savander didn't say how much a Comes With Music subscription will cost a month, but stressed that operators will decide whether to subsidise the cost as part of a customer's monthly contract.
