Tuesday, May 17, 2005

I’ve spent a week with the Yahoo! Music Unlimited subscription music service and much as it may distress those loyal to the iTunes Music Store, I have to say that it’s a keeper. Yeah, yeah, I know. Steve Jobs says that we want to own our music rather than rent it, but Steve, you didn’t also add "unless, of course, you can rent it for the amount of money you pull from the cracks of the couch each month."

Now that I understand the appeal of a cheap subscription service, I would, however, like to see Apple add subscriptions as an enhancement to its current services. Those who like the current model can continue to purchase albums and tracks as they always have. Those who’d like to pitch in an extra amount of cash each month or year to access all the music The Store has to offer, could do so. (Heck, while you’re at it, offer those same subscription customers downloads at a higher bit-rate.)

When Apple first unveiled the iTunes Music Store, Steve Jobs made a compelling case that subscription models of the time made little sense. Yahoo! Music Unlimited has convinced me that times have changed.