Subscription...

[derondantzler]

This is intended to be more or less a poll. What do you think of iTunes implementing a subscription model? I purchased an iPod 3g, it got me intrigued and I switched to Mac completely and have subsequently upgraded to every model of iPod including the 5g and when it went sour on me to an 80gb 5.5g. I've bought probably 750 songs or so on iTunes and countless seasons of television shows.

I use a PC at work and upgraded to WMP 11 and I signed up for the 14 day URGE trial just to see what it's about. I'm a technology enthusiast. I honestly feel like the subscription model would better suit my listening purposes and I'm wondering if there is any hope that Apple will ever implement it, or if it's just a lost cause.

Here are some arguments:
- The songs we buy to "OWN" are DRM protected songs anyway, and in the event that the technology changes significantly do you really own the songs anyway? I mean people owned their cassette tapes and VHS too, but most people purchased CDs/DVDs to replace them.
- You have to back up the songs and there are plenty of horror stories with people losing all of their purchased content with the buy to own program. If you crashed on a subscription service you can use their restore feature to get it all back.
- The argument has been posed that over a decade a subscription service costs a user roughly $1,800. Consider that the iPod 80gb holds 20,000 songs or at least it's advertised to and you'd never come close to filling it with purchased content at $1,800.
- I have core music that I enjoy and that I want to have "forever," but I like to expand my music horizons by listening to new things. It's hard to do by listening to a 30 second iTunes clip and then shelling out a buck to hear the song. I am thrifty and I feel "guilty" about deleting songs that I paid 99 cents for even if I no longer really want to hear the track.
- An argument against subscription would obviously be that they can hike the rates on you eventually or cancel the service and then you don't have the music, but you're paying for what you get while you get it.

What would Apple lose by giving the customers a choice? It seems like services like URGE are more lenient in providing that choice as part of their subscription model, because they allow for the purchasing of songs for a buck AS WELL AS THE SUBSCRIPTION program. Why not let the customers choose? It wouldn't be hard to start taking $15 or $20 subscription fees and putting a download button next to the tracks as well as the purchase button in the iTunes music store. I'm at the point that if Apple would start a subscription service alongside their current model I'd probably be willing to pay as much as $25 a month for it which is far in excess of the URGE rate.

Why is there so much argument on the issue and why can't the consumers have options? I'm seriously considering to switching BACK to PC and getting a different player if I don't have options soon, or I'll just resort to pirating music again like the good old days so that I don't have to suffer the cost of the switch back and can just play raw MP3s on my iPod.

[studogvetmed]

Your comment on circumvention of DRM was removed as per our forum policy. On the subject at hand this is how I justify or address some of your concerns.



Here are some arguments:
- The songs we buy to "OWN" are DRM protected songs anyway, and in the event that the technology changes significantly do you really own the songs anyway? I mean people owned their cassette tapes and VHS too, but most people purchased CDs/DVDs to replace them.


Buying and owning something does not protect your from changing technology. This in general is not a good excuse to want a subscription model. No one is being forced to upgrade. you only upgrade if you want to. If DRM is a "good" DRM (oxymoron I know), you may have the option of using that purchased content in different ways. I mean we can burn our purchased content to CD to use outside of iTunes and the iPod. The fact that it can be burned to CD opens it out of the general rhelms of it's DRM. I know we shouldn't be forced to go an extra mile to use our content, but it's there.


- You have to back up the songs and there are plenty of horror stories with people losing all of their purchased content with the buy to own program. If you crashed on a subscription service you can use their restore feature to get it all back.


Being lazy and not wanting to back up something that you have made money for is not a good argument for paying 15$ a month over and over again for a subscription. I can just as easily back up my music once a week and then restore from THAT should I have a failure of my hard drive. I bet a back up from my external hard drive or DVDs is FASTER too than redownloading content, but I might be wrong on that affect, depending on the speed of said hard drive computer vs your broadband.


- The argument has been posed that over a decade a subscription service costs a user roughly $1,800. Consider that the iPod 80gb holds 20,000 songs or at least it's advertised to and you'd never come close to filling it with purchased content at $1,800.


I think this is a good point. I go in fits and starts with my music. One month I may spend 80$ on music and then go three months without spending anything. If I had a subscription I may have access to countless music to fill myself with, but then if I stop downloading, maybe I want to stop paying, I lose it all. My investment may have given me instance satisfaction, but what do I have to show for it. Even when my need for NEW music subsides for a couple of months, I still want access to my music, I don't want to keep paying everymonth just to have access, so I'd rather buy in fits and starts, and enjoy what I've purchased three months from now.


- I have core music that I enjoy and that I want to have "forever," but I like to expand my music horizons by listening to new things. It's hard to do by listening to a 30 second iTunes clip and then shelling out a buck to hear the song. I am thrifty and I feel "guilty" about deleting songs that I paid 99 cents for even if I no longer really want to hear the track.
[QUOTE=derondantzler]

If this is the type of person you are, subscription my be the way for you... It's too bad once can't transfer the DRM for a track. though Subscription vs Online buying is somewhat lost on me, because I like to buy my music on physical CDs. I could always delete the music and sell the CD used I guess, you can't do that with DRM. But given Physical storage these days. Burn it to CD and then delete the track. You still have a copy of the song then. You don't want to hear it anymore but you still own it. Sure you can't sell it, but you don't have to feel as if you threw it away. I have lots of stuff I bought once upon a time I don't use anymore. But if you are this kind of person who disposes of music quickly, subscription may be for you. But think about what happens if you want to dispose of the subscription. All you're left with is an empty pocket book.

[QUOTE=derondantzler]
- An argument against subscription would obviously be that they can hike the rates on you eventually or cancel the service and then you don't have the music, but you're paying for what you get while you get it.
[QUOTE=derondantzler]

I can either pay 15$ a month for one-two CDs and the month I decide not to buy a CD, still have my CDs, or pay 15$ a month and get all the music I want but then have nothing when I decide I don't want to pay. Sure people who are signing up for a subscription often know what they are getting into, but it's a cost/benefit ratio I'm sure

[QUOTE=derondantzler]
What would Apple lose by giving the customers a choice? It seems like services like URGE are more lenient in providing that choice as part of their subscription model, because they allow for the purchasing of songs for a buck AS WELL AS THE SUBSCRIPTION program. Why not let the customers choose? It wouldn't be hard to start taking $15 or $20 subscription fees and putting a download button next to the tracks as well as the purchase button in the iTunes music store. I'm at the point that if Apple would start a subscription service alongside their current model I'd probably be willing to pay as much as $25 a month for it which is far in excess of the URGE rate.


I think there is no problem with giving a choice, and one day I hope Apple might. There is surely a market for this. I wish these subscription services offered a discount on downloading a track that you get while subscribing though. Essentially they are getting you to pay twice....


Why is there so much argument on the issue and why can't the consumers have options? I'm seriously considering to switching BACK to PC and getting a different player if I don't have options soon, or I'll just resort to pirating music again like the good old days so that I don't have to suffer the cost of the switch back and can just play raw MP3s on my iPod.

Lack of choices is not an excuse for pirating music. The thing is you do have choices. You can choose to leave the iPod behind and pick a player that supports subscriptions. You have the choice to purchase from iTunes, you have the choice to purchase from amazon, or used CD store, or even the great yourmusic.com. Apple believe's it's customers want to own what they buy. Until enough of the customer's pester them otherwise, it won't change. In general, subscription programs have failed miserably. The funny this is that if Apple did a subscription program on top of what they are doing, I bet it would be amazingly succesful.

But of course what is the cost/benefit? I don't know. I'd much rather buy albums, but that is me.