Paul Thurrott quotes MacNewsWorld in a recent blurb at Paul Thurrott’s Internet-Nexus, “What if you could pay a flat monthly fee to download as many songs as you want and transfer them to your music player — but they’d only be playable for a certain length of time? In effect, you’d be able to use your subscription to pack your music player as full as it can get — but with rented tunes. Before you dismiss the concept out of hand, consider this: Microsoft is exploring it.”
Thurrott writes, “Microsoft isn’t ‘exploring’ it, they’re rolling it out, as are Microsoft’s partners, such as Napster and Virgin Music. Again, this is an example of a place where Apple is falling behind. If they don’t adopt a subscription model, we’re going to see the Macification of the iTunes Music Store this year.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If any other service gets even remotely close to iTunes’ success (hasn’t happened, yet), what’s stopping Apple from adding this option if it proved popular with consumers? Songs and music are listened to repeatedly. By contrast, most movies are usually watched once. Movies are more conducive to the rental model (Blockbuster), but music-for-rent doesn’t strike us as a great idea. Do you think “renting” your music will prove more popular than “owning” your own music?
Yo Thurrott! This has been tried by several Windows only services already and so far it has failed miserably. Do us all a favor Paul and stick to something you know about, mainly bug ridden Windows software…
I think that should say “or face”…
And I swear Thurrott MUST be smoking some bad SIMMs…
Thurr-idiot and the other Windrone anal-ists seem to love the subscription model, despite the utter failure that such a model is for all involved. They are simply cheap bastards with no business sense. Unfortunately, they have a forum to air their idiocy.
The subscription model will NEVER succeed. Period. The same imbeciles who promote this have been telling us for years that everyone subscribe to web-based versions of Microsoft Office. I first started hearing about this around 1997. Guess where we are seven years later? That’s right, the subscription model for software failed, too.
When will these morons learn?
how many times does Steve has to say it ….. people don’t want to borrow music they want to own it.
I tried this model with Rhapsody. At first I thought it was a good idea, but then music that I had been listening to for months suddenly disappeared from the service. This really pissed me off and it happened constantly. After a few months I dropped my subscription to Rhapsody. With iTunes or a CD, I know that once I buy it, I can listen to it forever.
As much as I love iTunes, I actually prefer the subscription model for exploring new music. the 30 second samples don’t really do it for me.
The only downside for me would be that i can’t listen to the music on my iPod (which is how I listen to most of my music in the car, gym etc…) But that may soon be a thing of the past.
I think both buying and renting have value. why not get a choice?
I’ve spent $300 at the iTMS already this year, that could’ve lasted 3 years on a subscription site and given me access to a lot more music. I will probably only be listening to 20% of that music 3 years from now. and i’d gladly keep paying the subscription fee or buy them outright if I think I will listen to them in another 10 years.
Here you go quoting this joker again. Didn’t I tell you to stop last time? Oh yeah, I forhot, controversy creates hits…
V – And when did you say you started working for Rhapsody? Nice PR statement.
V….you can explore music by listening to iTunes Radio.
They love the subscription model because that’s all they’ve got to sustain thier hopes that Apple will falter. Apple has already won. I suspect Thurrott et al already know this subconsciously, but just haven’t admitted it to themselves yet.
I want to own my music, thanks. I do not wish to rent it.
In Massachusetts, you have MIT and Harvard increasing the intelligence of the state and then you have Thurrott who wipes out the advantage of a couple of thousand really smart people in one fell swoop.
What people like Thurrott and Enderle desperately want is for Apple to come and play on Microsoft’s terms: if iTMS drops down to rental, it legitimises a thoroughly stupid concept. As a by-product, Apple might no longer have such a substantial market leadership position which then gives Windows zealots the chance to say that Apple is ‘beleaguered’,
Thurrott is truly myopic in his support of Microsoft although, given his recent positive bleatings about some Linux offerings, I’ll give you even money that he has a Linux book in development. Let’s ask the same questions that I ask every time Thurrott expresses an opinion about how iTMS and the iPod should develop:
How many DJ Music Players have Dell sold?
How many tracks have the WMA cartel sold since Apple launched iTMS for Windows?
And now, let’s add some new questions:
Where is the market-tested proof that rental works for the music marketplace?
Where is the unequivocal music industry support for this model, given that most record companies (the owners of the content) seem relatively ambivalent to the idea?
I guess they don’t get the fact that part of the reason of iTunes success is its business model. Buy your music and do with it as you please. The music stores before it and the ones that come after it will fail. Buymusic.com anyone?
so you rent your money for a year, then at the the end of that year, spending a ton of money, what have you got to show for it?
I think MS is thinking since XM Satellite radio is doing well by subscribing to the service….that people will do the same for “on demand songs” but only played on an authorized computer?
Hmmmmmm……I dont think that is the same model….even though it seems to be the same concept but, its really not.
MDN lets get one thing straight. NO ONE owns the songs. One may OWN the license to the song. When you buy a CD you dont OWN the songs….you OWN the license to play them. If the CD gets damaged….you should return the CD for a like replacement because you already paid for the license, you should be entitled to a replacement without paying for another license. Same goes for DVD movies. I called several studios to ask them about this. They confirmed I was right…and Disney offers a DVD replacement program. Of course…like all studios…they all want to make a buck. It costs to replace a DVD (almost half or the original price – I think its a racket) Now….if I can only argue the same for VHS…..since they are phased out….and I still own a license….BUT its only a VHS license. I cannot convince them to give me a replacement in DVD format. I think within time with all the people that own VHS tapes there will eventually be a replacement program.
On second thought…..I highly doubt that…..they would loose money….god forbid.
I have never understood how the music industry could like the subscription model.
ITMS allows a 30 second sample. This usually allows you to verify that this is the song you were thinking of or it sounds interesting enough to buy.
The subscription model lets you play/sample the whole song which can easily be recorded to your computer. (Wiretap is one such app that will do this.)
Doesn’t this just promote stealing directly from the music site?
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Just cause I like subscriptions doesn’t mean i work for rhapsody!
Please grow up.
What about a scenario that when you “rent” your music you can do with it as you please? Right now iTunes doesn’t allow me to do anything that I please with the AAC songs i buy there, does it?
This model is probably not good for the labels, because it maxes out the biggest music spenders contribution to thier personal bank accounts.
I’m not fan of microsoft. I love my mac and my iTunes.
This isn’t a discussion about WMA vs iTunes or Windows vs Mac, or politics about making microsoft look like an innovator. I’m not commenting on this idiot and his biases towards microsoft.
I’m just talking about how music is experienced and paid for.
Have you noticed that Jobs used to say “people don’t want subscriptions” a few months ago, but now I’ve seen him quoted as saying “people don’t want subscriptions because they can’t listen to the music on thier iPod”
that’s a very imporatant distinction and If I could listen to songs on my iPod, I’d want a subscription. You may want something else.
let them adopt it…..it will fail over time….but it will give apple more time to secure the standard….what we have to worry about is microsoft seeing apple’s genius…and crush apple’s lead with money like they do with everything else.
Thurrott is an utter tool.
Facts are facts, as much as Thurr-idiot can deny them. iTMS sells 70 million songs, but that’s a ‘failure’
What a tool. I think I’ll email him and tell him that.
when I rent a game for my Xbox (and son a P2 as well), I know that Im going to return it, unless I buy my own copy. So renting or subscribing to movies and games work just fine. However, if I want a certain song fr my own use, I want to OWN it. No strings attached, no restrictions once I buy that song legally off of iTunes.
I agree that if you want to OWN a song you should have no strings attached, although didn’t someone lose all thier iTunes songs when they left for Canada?
At the same price of course you’d want to OWN–but it’s not the same price, in 1 month i can OWN 10 songs or Rent 200 for the same price.
and @ the end of the month then what, you have to remeber which songs u you want and rent them all over again?? no please I already have a hard enough time returning music to Blockbusters, I don’t want to have that with my music esp. over a 56k modem?? nah can’t mess wit that.
not music but movies to blockbusters. lol
“Before you dismiss the concept out of hand, consider this: Microsoft is exploring it.”
Oh my!! I didn’t know that!! That changes my mind entirely!! If Microsoft is exploring it, that means it HAS to be good.
Give me a friggin’ break….
No, V. Nobody lost any songs when they went to Canada. What a load of shit. THEY ARE FILES. Get that through your head. Holy crap.
Look, the rental model will never be accepted by the those with common sense. Cheap-ass nerds who are only interested in listening to their music on their PC will go for the rental model, but that’s it. And we won’t fall for your bullshit no matter how many times you try to sell it to us. Sorry… truth hurts.