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Nokia Music brings free streaming to U.S. Lumia owners

The new service will stream music from more 150 different playlists to Lumia handsets. Gig Finder, meanwhile, can track down local concerts and shows.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Nokia's new Music app offers U.S. Lumia owners their own free streaming service.

Available as of today, Nokia Music kicks off with more than 150 different playlists chosen by a team of music experts. The playlists run the gamut from Detroit underground music to performances from the New York Philharmonic, according to Nokia, and feature tracks from artists such as Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna.

Users can also scour a collection of millions of songs to generate their own playlists based on their favorite music and artists. And though the service is designed for streaming, Lumia owners can listen to music offline via their special playlists.

Another feature thrown into the music mix is Gig Finder, which can track down local concerts and shows based on the user's location. Find a concert you like, and you can also buy tickets and get directions to the event directly from the Nokia Music app.

Finally, Nokia's MP3 store offers more than 15 million tunes that Lumia owners can download and play through Nokia Music.

The app is freely available for download from the Nokia Marketplace for owners of the Lumia 900 and 710 handsets.

"We have worked extra hard to ensure our service meets the expectations of the demanding, active, and inspired music fans in the USA," Jyrki Rosenberg, vice president of entertainment at Nokia, said in a statement. "I would like to challenge everyone to try Nokia Music and see just how easy and enjoyable the service is to use."

Nokia is getting ready to open its Nokia World 2012 event starting tomorrow, where a slew of other products are slated to be unveiled.