The subscription-based iTunes
rumor has
been around for what feels like eons, and apparently, it's rearing its always intriguing head once more. According to a report over at
Financial Times,
the suits in Cupertino are currently "in discussions" with major music
outfits about a new model that could essentially "give customers free
access to the entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a
premium for its iPod and iPhone devices." Reportedly, a distribution
model similar to Nokia's "
Comes with Music"
could be used on both iPhones and iPods, while traditional
subscriptions would be reserved for the iPhone -- a device which has a
monthly billing relationship already attached to it. As it stands,
we're hearing that the major holdup is Apple's hesitation to pay big
bucks in order to access the labels' libraries, but here's to hoping
the iTunes buffet opens for business sooner rather than later.
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Tags: all you can eat, AllYouCanEat, apple, breaking news, BreakingNews, digital downloads, DigitalDownloads, itunes, music, subscription, subscription itunes, SubscriptionItunes
The
Financial Times has a piece claiming that Apple has been in deep talks
with music companies about an all you can eat music download service.
The piece speaks with authority, citing that while Nokia pays the
labels $80 per handset for such a service, split according to
marketshare, Apple has only offered $20. Hence the delay.
The article also cites an anonymous executive who claims consumers
would pay $100 extra for a device with lifetime music downloads, or $8
per month. Comparatively, Zune's pass is $15 a month. Apple's doing well with current music store sales, in second place behind Wal-mart. So one has to wonder what their motivation would be for such a setup. Total domination? [FT]
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson / Financial Times:
Apple mulls unlimited music bundle
— Apple is in discussions with the big music companies about a radical
new business model that would give customers free access to its entire
iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its iPod and
iPhone devices.
Discussion:
Between the Lines,
Guardian Unlimited,
Crave,
The Unofficial Apple Weblog,
Gadget Lab,
Gizmodo,
BloggingStocks,
Valleywag,
Online Media Cultist,
O'Reilly Radar,
Change Is Good,
I4U News,
Silicon Alley Insider,
last100,
Out of the Box,
MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer,
All About Symbian and
iLounge
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Rafat Ali / paidContent.org: Apple Working On A “Radical New Business Model”: Flat-Rate iTunes: Report