So, I have really looked at the music subscription idea, and now think that I really like it. It was brought up because my boss got a Zune mp3 player. With it he subscribed to the Zune Marketplace and for $15 a month can download and listen to almost anything. They only limit is the capacity of the Zune, but you can switch what you have around.
The only downfall is that if you stop your subscription you have no music, unless you download by song for 99 cents. For me this would be great, because I listen to so much music and always want to try out new stuff, but can’t buy everything I want to try. I end up with cds that aren’t that great and don’t own many cds that are great.
Part of the recent fuss in this area is that rumors have again cropped up concerning iTunes moving to this kind of model. They are in no rush as they have so many sales from their current model, but if this new model continues to grow Apple will have to do something. When you consider how much of the market share is held by iPod, it is no wonder that music subscription services are not popular. Jobs says people want to own music, making this model less desirable, but I disagree. As a former music thief, I would love to legally have all the music I used to have access to.
I also did the math, and for someone that has a lot of cds or someone that likes to have new cds but does not really listen to them after a few months, this really is a deal. I would be able to have all the music that I currently have plus as much as I can fit on my iPod or computer, plus it would all constantly be able to be rotated, all for less than I have spent on music over the last 15 years. This counting all the cds I own at about $12 a piece, discounting if they were gifts or received for free.
Anyway, I find it to be similar to doing blockbuster online or netflix and although you normally watch a movie only once and then don’t need access to it again, I think this would be popular if done well. The recent rumors that I mentioned had to do with rumored talks that Apple is having about either a premium priced iPod that has access to all of iTunes for the life of the device or a subscription based music plan introduced only for iPhone.
Random fact, my first cd was Boyz II Men: II, my next purchase will be this Tuesday as I will pick up the Counting Crows new album, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.
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