iTunes All-You-Can-Download Service Coming?
March 19, 2008 | by Nick Mokey
Apple may open up iTunes to buffet-style listening if reports of negotiations with record labels are true.
Apple’s pay-per-song approach to peddling music online through the iTunes store may soon be joined by a new all-you-can-download option based on the purchase of a player, or a subscription fee. According to the Financial Times, Apple is currently in talks with major music labels over the proposed service.
The plan could offer unlimited downloads for a monthly subscription fee, as services like Rhapsody do, or build the cost of downloads into the cost of Apple’s portable devices, as Nokia has done with its “Comes with Music” devices. Nokia’s approach gives portable owners unlimited downloads for one year, and the ability to keep their libraries without paying when the service runs out.
According to unnamed executives cited in the Financial Times, the remaining dispute between record labels and Apple concerns price. Nokia reportedly pays music industry partners $80 per device to offer “Comes with Music,” but Apple will only lay about $20 on the table.
Although subscription models are also a possibility, no details have emerged on what such a service might cost if offered by Apple. Research cited by executives suggests consumers are generally willing to plunk down $7 or $8 per month for it.
Post Your Comment...Comments
Comment on this article
Please keep your comments relevant to this article. Email addresses are not displayed, they are only required to verify you are human.
When you submit your comment, an email will be sent to your email address with a confirmation link. Once you have clicked on that confirmation link your comment will be posted.
HTML is not allowed.
RSS Feed
Matt on Mar 19th, 2008 at 8:33 AM:
I would have no problem dropping $8-10 dollars a month on an iTunes subscription, as long as they kept the regular $1.00 download option available (for others). And if the subscription fee included the non-DRM titles, which I doubt it would. Either way, I like that Apple is at least considering the option.