How to convert DRM Nokia WMA music tracks to MP3

This guide is going to show you how to convert DRM protected WMA music tracks purchased from Nokia Music Store to (DRM free) MP3 format for sync to a lot more mobile players incompatible with Nokia Music formats with TuneClone Audio Converter. First, let’s take a look at something about music downloaded from Nokia Music Store:

All downloads from Nokia Music Store use DRM licences in the Windows Media format(WMDRM). They allow you to play a protected track and transfer it to a regsitered Comes With Music device an unlimited number of times. However, to burn tracks to a CD or to transfer tracks to an unregistered compatible mobile device, you must buy the tracks from Nokia Music Store.

The audio file format of the tracks in Nokia Music Store is Windows Media Auido (WMA) with a bit rate of 128 kb/s or 192 kb/s. The tracks are protected by Windows Media Digital Rights Management (WMDRM). Tracks encoded at 192 kb/s are bigger files than those encoded at 128 kb/s, but of better quality.

Now let’s take a look at how it performs to convert WMDRM Nokia music to MP3 using TuneClone Audio Converter:

Step 1. Make settings in TuneClone

Download and install TuneClone Audio Converter from
http://www.tuneclone.com
. Launch the program. In the TuneClone interface, make sure TuneClone virtual CD drive is successfully installed (at the bottom left corner). Click the “Settings” button. In the pop-up dialog, you can specify the output path, output filename format, output file format (choose MP3), etc for the output files.

Step 2. Burn “Audio CD” in Nokia Music

Launch the Nokia Music program.

Drag and drop the music files you want to convert to MP3 to the TuneClone virtual CD drive icon (in H) until the total length goes to 79 mins.

Click the “Burn CD” button to start the burning process. After the burning gets started, TuneClone will fetch the music from the “virtual CD” (in a temp folder) and encode it to MP3 format.

 

After the whole burning and encoding progress, you can get the output files by clicking the “Folder” button in the TuneClone interface. Now you can possess the music without any restriction.

The drawback is that, after the conversion, the ID3 tags info for the music tracks has been missing. I have to retrieve the information by dragging and dropping the original music to the TuneClone “Track Info” panel one by one.

DRM free coming to Nokia

Mobile Today are on a roll today when it comes to Nokia News, and this news will have music lovers jumping for joy.

The news is that Nokia have agreed to remove the DRM locking from their music store in the next few months. The existing setup means once you have purchased a track you can listen to is on a Nokia phone, but just 1 phone so if you upgrade or change you are stuck!.

By removing DRM you can now share your music over many Nokia devices which is a much better idea and is needed as Vodafone recently announced they were removing DRM from their music store,

Mobile Today have posted

The manufacturer does not currently allow tracks bought from its music store to be transferred between handsets, frustrating users who upgrade their phones.

The removal of Digital Rights Management (DRM) has been secured after negotiations with record labels.

Adam Mirabella, director of global digital music retail for Nokia, said to Channel News Asia: ‘We have dialogues going with all of our partners and DRM-free is also on the roadmap for the future integration of Comes With Music.’

The news follows Vodafone’s recent announcement that its users can now download DRM-free tracks from its music service.

Nokia and Microsoft working to bring Zune marketplace to Nokia handsets?

Source from:
http://techzter.com/2008/08/05/nokia-and-microsoft-working-to-bring-zune-marketplace-to-nokia-handsets/

If the majority of new products and services from wireless carriers and handset manufacturers recently seems to be an answer to something from Apple, it’s probably because it is. Sure, Apple’s iPhone, iPhone 3G, iTunes integration, and AppStore may not be directly responsible for all of the wireless industry’s current advancements, but Cupertino’s entry in to the mobile space certainly sparked a new appreciation among manufacturers and service providers for sleek and integrated user interfaces that deliver a user experience to be desired.

Case in point, Apple’s integration of the iPhone with one of (if not the most) the most prolific and widely known music and software stores (iTunes and AppStore) has sparked a response from big-hitters Microsoft and Nokia.

Microsoft has vested interest in seeing their Zune Marketplace maintain a competitive edge in a crowded market. And Nokia could be just the handset mega-manufacturer to give Redmond the market-leverage to bring the Zune Marketplace to millions upon millions of users.

Microsoft is reportedly working closely with Nokia to integrate the Zune Marketplace in to Nokia’s dizzying lineup of mobile phones. This isn’t a Zune Phone, as has been rumored to be in the works, but a new service that’ll be featured on some of Nokia’s 430+ million handsets sold every year. What’s interesting is that Microsoft will have to develop a Zune Marketplace platform that is compatible with the Symbian software architecture used by Nokia. If true, Microsoft would be working to battle the iPhone and it’s iTunes integration on both the Windows Mobile and Symbian fronts.

Having missed their latest projections for Windows Mobile sales, Microsoft can use all the help they have the ability to get.

Related article:

How to transfer iTunes M4P music playlist to Zune WMA MP3