iTunes to offer unlimited downloads?
The debate over access versus ownership of music is about to heat up. According to Financial Times, Apple is considering a subscription model where iPhone users would pay $8 per month for a limited number of downloads, or “up to $100 for unlimited access to music for the lifetime of the device.” If the negotiations work out, you would be able to pay $100 for your iPod or iPhone and have unlimited downloads as long as you’re using that device.
“Subscriptions would work only for its iPhone devices, where it has a monthly billing relationship with customers through the mobile phone operators offering the device, while the ‘comes with music’ model would work with iPhones and with iPods.” (Financial Times)
This comes on the heels of a “comes with music” deal that Nokia made with Universal Music. Financial Times points out that it appears Apple is feeling the pinch to offer a similar service for their iPhone users.
In order to have access to unlimited music, will the DRM (Digital Rights Management) be the answer to maintaining some control as music flies through the doors? Will music listeners accept limits to what they can do with their music in exchange for unlimited access? These are questions that the access versus ownership debate will stir.
It seems that if the access model takes hold, it won’t be in the Mp3 format. At a time when the music industry was being pushed to ditch the failed DRM, the access model will give DRM a new purpose. The reason being that Mp3 files can’t “expire” like DRM can; if a member cancels their subscription, the service provider would need a way to “expire” the files. Apple has their own DRM format, and Ruckus, who currently offers unlimited access to music, uses Window’s PlaysForSure DRM.
Gerd Leonhard co-authored a book about the concept of access versus ownership of music in The Future of Music (website). He predicted in 2003 that in the future people will pay a monthly fee for access to unlimited music, much like they would pay for water. He furthers this discussion in his book Music 2.0 (website).