Sony BMG music Entertainment has joined Nokia's "Comes With Music" initiative - a new way for people to discover and enjoy music with their Nokia device.

The new partnership means that people who buy a Nokia Comes With Music device will have a year of access to the Sony BMG catalog of music. Consumers will be able to download tracks to both their mobile device and computer through the Nokia Music Store during the first twelve months that they own their Nokia device.

"We see the Comes With Music program as a great way to bundle mobile phones with access to the music," said Thomas Hesse, president of global digital business and U.S. sales at Sony BMG. "It turns the phone into a great music player that's always connected to new music as well as the treasures in the vaults of the record companies."

At the end of the one-year period, the device owners can keep their downloaded tracks and can transfer all the music should they purchase a new compatible device or computer.

Music fans who participate in the Comes With Music experience will be able to keep their downloads on their device or computer for the rest of their lives.

Consumers will have a number of options for continuing to get new music after the Nokia Comes With Music subscription is over. They will be able to continue to buy additional tracks from the Nokia Music Store, or move on to a Nokia unlimited-access subscription service to enjoy new releases and catalog tracks not downloaded during the initial year.

"As such, it's more than just a music acquisition mechanism, but a tool through which consumers will explore and discover a wide range of artists and genres," Mr. Hesse said. "Imagine a fan who is primarily interested in, say, pop, but who has always been curious about classic rock.

"That fan can now explore the entire Bruce Springsteen catalog and decide for himself," he said. "He can check out Santana and Aerosmith and experience AC/DC and much more. And he can do all this downloading and listening at no additional cost.

"I think this is an unbeatable consumer proposition," he said. "And because he is carrying his phone everywhere he goes, there is no lag between the inspiration to hear an artist and his ability to do so. I bet that consumer comes away a bigger music fan than ever before."

Comes With Music is expected to launch in the second half of 2008 on a range of Nokia devices in selected markets.

"We see the 'Comes With' concept as the next wave in terms of how to market digital entertainment," Mr. Hesse said. "But the next big thing is clearly a dozen different things, ranging from traditional CDs and digital to physical hybrid products such as the MusicPass gift cards, to downloads and mobile phone content.

"Our goal is to make our artists and music available wherever the music fan happens to be, whether that is traditional retail, the supermarket, online or in the mobile space," he said.