“Virgin Group is set to announce a partnership with Internet developer MusicNet today to build the retailer’s online music store. The Virgin site, which will launch in late summer, will try to differentiate itself from the myriad of other stores by offering a monthly subscription plan that, for less than $10, will let users listen to as many songs as they like,” Stephen Lynch reports for The New York Post. “If the subscription is canceled, those songs will no longer be accessible – although users will also have the option of buying music permanently.”
“The Virgin store will use Microsoft’s digital-music format, WMA, which is backed by online retailers such as Wal-Mart and Napster. The leading online music store, iTunes, uses a competing format from Apple,” Lynch reports. “Zack Zalon, president of Virgin Digital, said the large number of digital-music devices backing WMA will give it an advantage over iTunes, which interacts with only one player, the iPod. ‘We believe Microsoft will eventually define the standard,’ Zalon said. ‘Apple is an innovator, but, because it has a closed standard, it will fall off.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: You can start laughing now, if you’re not already. Subscriptions? Failed idea. WMA is not a “closed standard?” Apple will “fall off?” You mean like Napster 2.0, BuyMusic.com, etc. fell off or are currently in the process of falling off the map – pushed by iTunes, no less? Mr. Zalon overlooks the simple, usually-easy-to-comprehend fact: millions of iPods sold and millions selling right now means those millions of iPoders will not be using Virgin’s “service” if and when it ever becomes available in August. We’ll be using iTunes and Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Bigtime. So will HP iPoders. Give us a call when you’re not just peddling vapor and FUD, Mr. Zalon.