Nokia today announced that the new Ovi Music platform is live in South Africa.

Simultaneously, subscriptions enabling music fans access to unlimited track downloads from Ovi Music are now available by purchasing one of four Nokia music devices, or through credit card renewals for existing subscribers. 

Ovi Music, formerly known as the Nokia Music Store, features a catalogue of more than 6 million tracks from local and international artists, and all tracks purchased are presented in DRM-free MP3 format. 

“This exciting move means that consumers can download their favourite tracks and play them on Nokia music devices, or any MP3 player. Furthermore, tracks can be downloaded from Ovi Music using any browser, which support MP3 downloads, including Safari and Firefox,” says Jake Larsen, head of music, Nokia Middle East and Africa.

Ovi Music Unlimited, formerly known as Comes With Music, allows users access to unlimited track downloads from the rich Ovi Music catalogue for a specified subscription period. 

Users who currently own a Nokia Comes With Music device, which in South Africa includes the Nokia 5130, Nokia 5530, Nokia 5630 and the Nokia X6, will now be able to renew their access to the service for three, six or twelve months at the end of their current subscription term.

Costs range from R149 for a three month subscription to R499 for 12 months, and renewals can be purchased directly from Ovi Music using a credit card.  In addition users will enjoy single click service activation and faster music transfer speeds.

The new Ovi Music  platform offers users a range of great new features including ‘Inspire Me’ track suggestions based on what other music fans using the service are downloading, access to music specials including B-sides, remixes and compilations, and the ability for fans to sort their personal music catalogues alphabetically, by release date or by popularity.

“We are really excited to unveil Ovi Music to South Africa.  This is a fantastic service for music fans, and we’re sure people will enjoy the many great new features which come with the Ovi Music experience,” says Larsen.