Nokia to launch paid version of Lumia-only music service

Nokia’s Ian Delaney took to the official company blog over the weekend to announce Nokia Music+, a new monthly subscription service designed to complement the Lumia-only Mix Radio – the free service that launched back in September. We are told that the latter service will remain unchanged but those willing to part with $3.99 per month can expect a lot more from Nokia Music+.

If you are unfamiliar, Mix Radio offers a wide array of playlists that Lumia owners can sample and pick through at their convenience. The free service allows users to skip a set number of songs and even download a limited number of tracks for offline playback.

Nokia Music+ will grant subscribers the freedom to skip as many tracks as they want as well as download an unlimited number of songs to their device for offline playback. Nokia says tracks downloaded using Nokia Music+ will be up to eight times better than current tracks with regards to quality.

We are told that users will be able to set restrictions for downloads to occur only over Wi-Fi as to not eat through a data plan in a matter of hours. Furthermore, Nokia Music+ subscribers will have song lyrics streamed directly to their handset with the option to have them delivered karaoke-style.

If that weren’t enough, Nokia Music+ also lets subscribers access the service on their computer or smart TV using a web app.

Nokia says the service is expected to roll out in the coming weeks.