In an effort to bolster musicians’ perspectives within its corporate structure, Nokia Entertainment and Communities Group has formed the Nokia Artists Advisory Council/ Musician/producer Dave Stewart has been tapped to head up the council.
Launched at the beginning of 2008, Nokia Entertainment and Communities Group is a recently formed division, resulting from a corporate reorganization. Nokia’s advisory council aims to ensure fairness in revenue sharing as new technology and methods of accessing music develops.
“The artist advisory council is an idea that emerged from the viewpoint that we can connect the consumer to the artists,” Tero Ojanpera, Nokia’s Chief Entertainment Officer, tells Billboard.com. “Consumers are looking for more richer experiences, and of course artists are a source of innovation. In working together will help us understand how they want to be represented through our offerings. It’s really about getting to the source of creative talent, and helping them connect through technology.”
Stewart says that ultimately, the business model Nokia is implementing will represent a “paradigm shift,” resulting in “an amazing way for artists to share their visions with their fans.” Stewart is currently in talks with TV, film, and music personnel to round out the council.
“The important point is that everyone in the chain is getting their share,” Ojanpera says. “There are a lot of players in the industry that are treating music as a marketing tool — and that’s fine. But in order to create value for everyone, we need to create the ways to connect those that are creative with the fans.”
Long-term, Nokia hopes has to introduce two music delivery services to the U.S. market, both of which have already been launched in the U.K. “Comes With Music” is a service that bundles a subscription with a mobile device, where a user can download music from the available catalogs for 12 months.
Unlike other subscriptions services, after a year, the content will still be accessible. Universal has initially partnered with Nokia for the venture, with negotiations currently underway with other labels.
