“Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes music and video store on Wednesday took its first step toward a monthly subscription model with a new service called Multi-Pass that lets users buy TV shows on a monthly basis,” Reuters reports. “iTunes is launching the service in partnership with Viacom Inc.’s Comedy Central Network, which is rolling out ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’ and ‘The Colbert Report’ on the service. Fans will be able to buy the next month’s series of 16 new episodes via Multi-Pass for $9.99, or to pay $1.99 per episode. Four episodes air each week and viewers can download each episode after it’s been broadcast.”
“Apple has so far resisted calls from media companies and competitors to adopt a monthly subscription fee favored by the likes of Napster and Real Networks Inc.’s Rhapsody, preferring an a la carte download model where music tracks cost 99 cents and videos $1.99,” Reuters reports. “Videos downloaded from the iTunes Music Store can be played back on a personal computer or an Apple iPod portable media player, among other devices. More than 8 million videos have been sold since it launched at the end of last year.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Make that “more than 15 million videos purchased and downloaded” since it launched. Ever notice that mistakes about Apple usually shortchange the company and rarely overstate figures? We have. With that said and duly corrected, the importance of Apple’s new “Multi-Pass” volume-discount option probably cannot be overstated.
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Related articles:
Comedy Central’s iTunes Music Store press release – March 08, 2006
Apple adds Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show,’ ‘The Colbert Report’ to iTunes with Multi-Pass option – March 08, 2006
It’s Reuters. Of course there’s mistakes.
multipass sounds more like a pre-order discount than a subscription model.
Its a selective subscription model. I like that. You can just subscribe to what you want. Makes a lot of sense for TV shows. For music……that remains to be seen.
It’s a subscription, but it’s not. I like it. I still own it. Cheaper.
As far as can tell this is fundamentally different from the music subscription services in the following way: you OWN the music.
Jake
Multipass!
i hope that they run this along side the normal system, i and many others hate being forced into things such as subscriptions, im a fan of freedom, call that crazy if you will.
Multi-Pass…. yes, that’s right, multi-pass…
now where’s that babe in the orange jumpsuit?
There’s more…
Rush Limbaugh announced at the beginning of his show today that his paid podcast will be available Monday through iTunes. This is the beginning of subscription and pay to listen podcasts, not just videos and such.
This could be a major revenue stream. It was also nice to hear Rush speak highly of the iPod, iTunes, and Apple– he’s a real fan.
There is a huge difference between Multi-Pass and Napster’s subscription model — ownership.
Oh god, Rush Limbaugh.
This subject will polarlize this thread in a heartbeat.
Love him or hate him, he does speak highly of the Mac OS and the Video iPod.
Leeloo, I saw your boobies. Mmmmm.
The hotel of a thousand and one follies, lollies, and lick ’em lollies. A magic fountain flow of non-stop wine, women and hotchie cootchie coo!
It’s Korben Dallas!
Idiot.
Rush may be a fan of the iPod but he’s a bigger fan of CASH. This is where it always starts, let’s see how I can make more CASH, sigh… it’s the American way. I didn’t listen to Rush before Podcasting and I’ll definitely not listen to him now.
MDN magic word: “amount” as in CASH
Run out and get yourself a copy of SnapZ Pro X and keep the videos.
Of course it might not work on a Trusted Computing infected Intel processor.
More info here
Oh and they finally got Windows XP boots on a MacBook Pro.
Took them awhile to figure it out. LOL
It’s really nothing like a subscription since you own the eventual media. It’s buying a pre-release or more like buying an album, which you can already do on iTunes.
http://musobs.blogspot.com/
Multipass.
As Jimy pointed out, it’s not “subscription” in the usual sense. It’s more like a prepaid discount. You’re still owner of the videos unlike Napster, etc., where you lose access to those downloads once you stop paying the extortion fees.
MW: they. They should’ve made this more clear.
I will NEVER be forced into a monthly subscription model thank you very much. People want freedom, not contracts and memberships!!!!
It’s a discounted bulk purchase plain and simple. When I can get any Comedy Central show for $50/year, then that’s a subscription.
What happens to your Multipass if the show gets cancelled before your 15 downloads are up?
I am flummoxed, what are you all talking about, LeeLoo, Russ, Korben Dallas….some explanantions so I can join in the fun
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<i>I will NEVER be forced into a monthly subscription model thank you very much. People want freedom, not contracts and memberships!!!!</i>
No. 6: I am not a number! I am a human being!
No. 2: Hahahahahaha!
“As Jimy pointed out, it’s not “subscription” in the usual sense.”
Actually I’d say it exactly like a subscription in the ususal sense. You order 12 months of SI or the New York Times – a subscription – and you get to keep every single copy they send you. The all you can play services like Napster are just that, a service.