Though Nokia has never revealed how many Comes With Music users it has, the assumption has always been that numbers are low. Last month, industry consultancy Music Ally estimated that Comes With Music in the UK had attracted a mere 23,000 users and pinned some of the lack of interest on the service’s DRM-protected tracks. But when Comes With Music launched in the autumn of last year in the UK, it did so on the very basic 5310, an experience described by moco editor Robert as “a less-than-satisfactory, less-than-mobile offering.” No carrier picked up the handset with the service, reportedly because it competed directly with their own music offerings, meaning it was only offered through retailer Carphone Warehouse. There has also been anecdotal evidence from Carphone Warehouse’s salespeople suggesting that consumers were confused as to what CWM actually gave them (unlimited music, but only for the lifetime of the handset, or a Nokia upgrade).

It will be interesting to see in the UK if CWM’s popularity is simply down to the handset and carrier support after all. In April, Nokia chief Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo revealed that the 5800 Xpress Music combined with Comes With Music had been a “big success story,” for the device maker in the countries the device has been launched in, helping it ship 2.6 million units in Q1.