Warner opts to stay out of online deal with Nokia

Nokia's new Britain-based online music service launched this week with more than 2 million songs, including tracks from every major record label except one: Warner Music Group, home to artists such as Green Day, LinkinPark and Red Hot Chili Peppers, according to an Associated Press report.

The Associated Press report, quoting an executive familiar with the negotiations between the two companies, said New York-based Warner refused to license its music for the service, taking issue with Nokia's operation of a file-sharing web site called Mosh.

Warner insisted that Nokia promise not to promote Mosh alongside its paid music offerings, the executive said.

Bill Plummer, Nokia's vice president of multimedia for North America, declined to comment on the details of the company's negotiations with Warner, but said talks with the company were ongoing in 'good faith and good spirit.'

A Warner spokeswoman declined to comment, the report said.

Warner's decision to remain outside the Nokia Music Store highlights the increasingly uneasy relationships among record labels and other entertainment companies and online hubs for user-generated content, the report said.