One of the under appreciated features of the Nokia MixRadio platform is that not only is it available in more markets (30+) than most streaming services of its kind , but also that it is only launched into a new market once the backend music database (i.e. available music and mixes) has been updated to reflect local listening tastes.
Local "mixologists" compile mixes for each market, complementing the work of the core team, who are based in Bristol in the UK. While many mixes are shared internationally (i.e. the same content), there are also some mixes that are specific to one or two countries.
There's a number of reasons you might want to gain access to the international mixes. For example, if you are an ex-pat living abraod, getting a taste of music from home might be just what you need to get you through the day. More than anything though, it is an excuse to explore and discover more music, something that ties in nicely with one of Nokia MixRadio's core aims.
So how can you disover these international mixes? You can look out for people sharing mixes on Twitter and Facebook (look for the mixrad.io URL), but the easiest way is to use the third party Mix Play & Share app.
Mix Play & Share provides a simple user interface to view the list of mixes available in each Nokia Music country and play them back within the Nokia Mix Radio app. For each mix you can also opt to write the mix URL to a NFC tag, share the mix via social media, or pin the mix to the start screen for easy access.
Do note that the mix name will use the local language, so a little bit of brain-powered translation may be required to work out exactly what a mix is about. If you're looking for a place to start we would suggest looking at the mixes for India, where there are categories for Bollywood, Telugu, and Tamil to name just a few.
Be sure to let us know what you favourite international mix is in the comments below.
Windows Phone Store description:
Do you love Nokia Music? If so, do you love the Mix Radio feature? We do!
We are listening to Music whenever it's possible, and the Nokia Mixes are the number one collections we are listening to. Sadly, Nokia Music does not provide a possibility to listen to Mixes from other countries.
This small little helper app is the solution to that. What does it do?
- provides the possibility to load mix groups from all supported countries
- play a mix by tapping on it
- share mixes via NFC, SMS, Mail and Social Networks
- create tiles that launch a mix in Nokia Music
Mix Play & Share is a free download from the Windows Phone Store