Apple to Launch Subscription iTunes?

[redfirebird08]

but it would be a huge mistake to migrate completely over to this model. I personally would only download music that I then own.

Subscription users have the same exact rights as everyone else on Napster and Rhapsody, etc. Like I mentioned in a previous post, Rhapsody actually gives you a discount for downloading the tracks (10 cents off or $1 off for albums) and unlike iTunes, they don't charge sales tax. I have a huge problem with such small items on the Internet requiring sales tax. If we can buy a physical product from Amazon.com without sales tax, then iTunes should have the same policy. Don't let the states decide this issue. It's not fair to consumers. $9.99 is really $10.81 for me on iTunes. And $.99 is really $1.08. That's pretty ridiculous when you compare it with something like Rhapsody. Rhapsody doesn't even charge tax for users who AREN'T subscribers. Non-subscribers pay $.99 per track or $9.99 for albums but there's no tax!

Anyone who makes the mistake of thinking that subscription services DON'T offer regular downloads is ignorant. End of story. Oh, and I've got news for Mac fanboys out there. Rhapsody gives you 192 kbps downloads for $.99 or $.89 if you are a subscriber. The STREAMS are 128 kbps just like iTunes' full downloads, and then you've got DRMed subscription downloads which are 160 kbps. The quality on iTunes is pathetic for what they charge you. With the subscription, you have the option of having your library with streams or DRMed downloads. The streams help save hard drive space for those with such an issue. I honestly think if iTunes could implement a similar plan to Rhapsody's, they would put everyone else out of business. This is what they would need to offer:

128 kbps streams, 192 kbps DRM downloads, and 256 kbps full downloads. I currently pay $100 per year for Rhapsody so around $8.33 per month. A plan like this could work really well if you include movies and TV shows. Have a $20-30 per month fee for all you can eat subscriptions to movies, TV shows, and music. I agree with others that an option must exist for a combination. You should be able to choose just TV shows, just movies, or just music for your subscription.

 

[kerryn]

The Yahoo! subscription service is 192kbps WMA which is even better than Rhapsody.

I used to use Rhapsody and it was a pretty good service, a lot better than Yahoo! when it was first established. Now I think the Yahoo! service is almost the equivalent of Rhapsody but it is cheaper and has higher quality music (192 versus 160 for subscription).

 

[redfirebird08]

The Yahoo! subscription service is 192kbps WMA which is even better than Rhapsody.

I used to use Rhapsody and it was a pretty good service, a lot better than Yahoo! when it was first established. Now I think the Yahoo! service is almost the equivalent of Rhapsody but it is cheaper and has higher quality music (192 versus 160 for subscription).

I've tried Yahoo but don't like the interface of their software, and more importantly, they stole about $60 from me. I did their "free trial" about a year and a half ago, then got an email right before Christmas telling me that they were about to charge my account for another year of service. I had not even been using the service since I thought it was cancelled within the trial period, but they had horrible help on their website and no phone number to talk to someone in person. Needless to say, I'm never trying them again because I had to email them over and over just to make them cancel the subscription even though I had thought it was cancelled almost a year before hand (within their free trial which was 2 weeks or something). It might have been a glitch in the system, but they still ripped me off.

The biggest reason I want an iTunes subscription is that I think people deserve the option. I have a big problem buying music online and paying taxes on it. If I can buy the physical product from online stores like Amazon.com without taxes, then I shouldn't be taxed on iTunes downloads. Having said this, if there was a subscription model I'd actually consider switching to it if the quality was high enough and they had just as many songs if not more than Rhapsody. I would not mind paying tax on a subscription, but on regular downloads it's a ripoff. But they would have to make their price competitive of course including the tax. I pay $100 per year for Rhapsody. iTunes for just a music subscription would have to make it somewhere in the range of $95 + tax.