Apple Mulls Flat-Rate "Unlimited Music" Option 355
Mike writes "Apple is in discussions with the big music companies about an 'all you can eat' model for buying music that would give customers free access to its entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its iPod and iPhone devices. Finally, it looks like the industry (or at least Apple) is 'getting it'. The real question is not whether the big music companies will go for it, but rather, who will be the first one to get smart and agree to offer it?"
As an Ipod owner (Score:4, Interesting)
Great for the consumer. (Score:2, Interesting)
This is just Subscription model 2.0 (Score:3, Interesting)
But to pay 100 bucks to use it "unlimited" as long as you are DRM'd? No thanks.
DRM'd? Check Techdirt (Score:3, Interesting)
Sweetness (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:As long as (Score:3, Interesting)
Right now, the conceptual actions of the **AA are hurting artists by reputation even more than the pure $ effect with their fear campign.
Once Apple gets a lock on the Flat Fee model, they can work on weird ways to funnel the money to the artists. "Donate your dollar to the artist, save a dollar on an ipod" or something.
This Wouldn't Work (Score:3, Interesting)
Even if they DRM the music I can still stream rip it. I mean after all, the data still has to be transmitted to me and stored on an iPod somehow.
Re:This is just Subscription model 2.0 (Score:3, Interesting)
a.) There are two million 'nobodies' subscribed to Rhapsody right now.
b.) Cable/Satellite TV already uses that model, only it's not on-demand. Not only is that successful, but they're throwing ads on top of it! Heh.
The big problem with it isn't the business model, it's getting people to wrap their heads around the idea that it's not the same as iTunes. Music subscription isn't a music store, it's an on-demand music service. Those are two very different concepts, but not entirely unlike comparing television shows on DVD to being a cable subscriber. Amusingly, just like in the cable/DVD example, the two models aren't mutually exclusive, either.
If you're curious, I can tell you more about what why in some cases subscription would be preferable to purchase. In the mean time, however, I hope you'll accept my suggestion that subscription is merely a 'less' version of purchase. There's a whole different set of pros and cons.
Re:As long as (Score:3, Interesting)
I own a Zune and gladly pay the bad music insurance [penny-arcade.com] because I know my tastes fluctuate wildly. The freedom to download 20 albums at a time (guilt-free mind you), then scrap the 18 I decide I don't like is, to me, paramount to actually "owning" music I might regret buying.
Re:I buy CDs. Why should I pay this premium? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:What?! (Score:5, Interesting)
Which is probably why the rumors are heavy on the fairy-tale customer-facing product and the investor-pleasing record-company-facing revenues, and really light on the implicit restrictions and technical questions. I'd imagine the RIAA simply figured out that while $x/mo doesn't work for consumers, "$Y for as long as you own the device" does. (even when device turnover rates are used to ensure mathematical equivalence)
The only thing Apple seems to be 'getting', is pushed by the record companies to offer some of those seductive 'recurring revenues' that Napster/MS/et al keep promising.
Implications in Canada (Score:3, Interesting)
1. The Canadian Copyright Act allows one to make a copy, for personal use, of someone else's music.
2. There is no DMCA equivalent to prevent the breaking of DRM in Canada.
3. For the cost of an iPod plus the $20 Apple buffet fee, a single pioneering Canuck could download infinite iTunes.
4. The other 31,000,000 Canadians could leech his entire music collection for free.
The true North, strong and free. Free as in Apple Hefeweizen.
fair disclosure/conflicts of interest (Score:3, Interesting)
It's just my hunch, but the free as in freedom or beer advocates are just worried about paying for something that they used to get with a five finger discount.
My disclosure: I have not downloaded content from an unauthorized source.