Microsoft Targets iTunes Prices in New Zune Pass Commercial

[polaris20]

I'm not going to read the whole thread, because there's a lot of BS as usual here. I will say the ad is kinda dumb, because:

A. They're taking aim at what is arguably Apple's least relevant iPod. The iPhone/iPod Touch are where it's at now, and if not that, the Nano. Out of all the dozens of people I know with iPods, they're mostly one of these. I know of two people with a classic.

B. I rip all of my music at 320Kbps, and while it still won't use all of the 120GB, it's still a damn big directory. And yes, I've paid for all of it over the years. I really don't use iTMS, I buy the disk, rip, then box it.

C. There are other uses for a 120GB HD in your pocket. When I still used my 30GB Video, I had a ton of music on there as well as movies, but I also ran a couple VM's off of it too, as well as had a folder full of freeware installs. Very handy to have.

I will say subscription models are neat, and I'd like the option of having both. I'd pay a few bucks a month for the singles type stuff, when after awhile you no longer care to listen to it.

 

[thedudeAbides]

It actually sounds like a good deal...

Seriously, MSFT hate aside,

Am i the only one who thinks this is a pretty good deal? I have never understood why digital songs are $1.00 (and now $1.29) a piece. I give apple props for the ipods (all of them actually), the app store, and eh, the itunes software is mediocre. But the pricing for songs is absurd.

And, yes, it is surprising that MSFT would let you keep 10 of the 15 rented songs. Wow. Imaging if Blockbuster or Netflix did that. How can you complain about that?

Obviously if you don't buy much music, the deal sucks for you. That doesn't mean it is a bad deal.

My university had a similar deal through Napster (after it went legit) a few years ago that allow unlimited songs for....wait for it....$2.99 a month for students. That was in the days of DRM and only itunes bought songs on ipods.

 

[cwwilson]

I would be first in line for an "iTunes pass" and even it was $30 a month I'd still do it.

It'll be even better when my iPhone has more than 16GB of space. Then I'd really go crazy.

 

[MusicallySilent]

Seriously, MSFT hate aside,

Am i the only one who thinks this is a pretty good deal? I have never understood why digital songs are $1.00 (and now $1.29) a piece. I give apple props for the ipods (all of them actually), the app store, and eh, the itunes software is mediocre. But the pricing for songs is absurd.

And, yes, it is surprising that MSFT would let you keep 10 of the 15 rented songs. Wow. Imaging if Blockbuster or Netflix did that. How can you complain about that?

Obviously if you don't buy much music, the deal sucks for you. That doesn't mean it is a bad deal.

My university had a similar deal through Napster (after it went legit) a few years ago that allow unlimited songs for....wait for it....$2.99 a month for students. That was in the days of DRM and only itunes bought songs on ipods.

Yea I agree, with you as I posted earlier

I would not mind in any respect to pay 15 a month and get 10 songs per month at an average cost of like 11.50 for those 10 songs making it 3.50 for the subscription. 3.50 a month is not much to pay for a subscription given that when I go through phases about certain types of music I could download all the albums by that artist (would need a bigger MBP drive ) but yea I wouldn't mind doing like 15 a month or like 150 a year as a discount.

 

[gnasher729]

Turn the argument around!

Here is how I see it: You've been buying music for all your life. You have a huge collection. Thousands of CDs, worth $30,000. And the iPod has enough space to hold your whole collection, a life's worth of music!

 

[AJ1BostonMASS]

Eventually digital format will evolutionaize and the only way it will do it is by being clouded. PHYSICAL FORMAT IS DEAD is only alive to people who refuse to let go of the past. WHO WANTS TO OWN 1000Cds taking up space?

I do.
Esp if the computer (mac or pc) fails or the hard drive crashes.

There goes your music pictures everything.

 

[DMann]

It's like they put out a casting call for: "Biggest Giant Douche To Talk To People Like They're Children"

MS actually talks this way to their own employees.

But you see Microsoft I like to own my music (well not own, thats the copyright owners job). I like to have it stored on my computer so I can listen to it at any point be it now or in 10 years time.
I don't want to pay a license to download a lot of music that I temporarily own.

Vaporware -- for only $15/month! How much would you pay for nothing? $500? $1,000?? Ballmer sells Windows

Wow. I am at a complete and total loss for words.

Microsoft, you DID NOT just repeat the same ignorant line that I hear from customers at work, did you? Yes, you did.

I've had multiple customers ask me to explain to them how to use iTunes. When they saw that the iPod classic can hold 30,000 songs, they freaked out because they thought it'd cost $30,000.

Now, this ad was not only Microsoft's most asinine of all, but it seems that they're also being deceptive. Zune Pass customers are renting the tracks, not owning them, and they're still DRM'd when the iTunes Store is 100% DRM-free.

Microsoft is giving us an almost-daily reminder of how much they suck. Just keep it up, Redmond, it all has to come to an end eventually.

And now, for the wisdom of other fellow MR members:+3.

MS has officially "Jumped the Shark."

 

[djmayne2001]

never really got the point in the Zune, crap device that does not offer a great deal. Ipod is the only way to listen to music these days.

 

[Oscartapia]

I do.
Esp if the computer (mac or pc) fails or the hard drive crashes.

There goes your music pictures everything.

EXACTLY!!... And anybody like me: a music lover and CD collector, will agree that you want to have it, beside de music, that by the way comes in a better format than an mp3, and even better than the AAC format, simply: with no compression; because of the packing, particularly for special editions, additionally much CDs come now with extras, like bonus DVDs, interactive content, etc., so yes: the most common format is now the digital, but there are too many people that, like me, loves to have it physically, to have the original CD on your hands.

'Cause yes: now I have all my music in my computer, I don't use my CDs, but they are the source to rip almost all that music

And as AJ1BostonMASS says: if your hard drive crashes, if it fails, or simply because of any reason you loose the file... what, you will buy it again?

In fact I have seen this advantage already: one thay listening to old playlists one song, I don;t know why, but was not working well, it sounded damaged, so I took the original CD and ripped the song again.

 

[BMWFan]

never really got the point in the Zune, crap device that does not offer a great deal. Ipod is the only way to listen to music these days.

Except the fact that Zune has better hardware which produces better sound quality.

 

[ljocampo]

For all you who say renting your music from Zune Pass is cool

Quoted directly from ZP's TOS:

"We may change the service or delete, modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, functions and features of the service at any time and for any reason. Due to contractual or other limitations, from time to time, some content available in the Zune Marketplace may no longer be available. We may change the content available in the Zune Marketplace at any time."

This is why it's not. If you don't agree with what they change you're *S* out of luck and music because your only recourse to their extortion is leave the service.

Or worse, the service could go the way of "Play for Sure."

 

[Oscartapia]

Yea I agree, with you as I posted earlier

I would not mind in any respect to pay 15 a month and get 10 songs per month at an average cost of like 11.50 for those 10 songs making it 3.50 for the subscription. 3.50 a month is not much to pay for a subscription given that when I go through phases about certain types of music I could download all the albums by that artist (would need a bigger MBP drive ) but yea I wouldn't mind doing like 15 a month or like 150 a year as a discount.

If you can't do the maths so now we see why you like the Zune service: if you get 1o songs for $15 you're not paying $1.15 per song: you are paying $1.5

And about the iTunes interface: this is the first time I find somebody that says iTunes is mediocre! And he says it's amazing they leto you keep 10 songs that you have rented, that it;s like if Blockbuster lets you keep the movie... that's the dumbest thing anybody can say!! does Blockbuster rents you the movies for $15 each, or to keep it in proportion: 10 movies for $150?? Cause they'd be selling them to the same price at any other store!!! As I said: you are paying $1.5 per song.

And about the price: $1 is not much, specially if you compare to the MS store... and for the new price of $1.29: that's because now you can use that music wherever you want, without the limitations the music companies had before for this kind of services.

 

[Oscartapia]

Here is how I see it: You've been buying music for all your life. You have a huge collection. Thousands of CDs, worth $30,000. And the iPod has enough space to hold your whole collection, a life's worth of music!

EXACTLY!!!

I don't understand how some people can think as this guys from MS want to tell you, like if you were retarded, that if you have an iPod with 120G you're gonna have to spend 30,000 to fill it. They have done stupid campaigns, like the one that cost them $300,000,000 with Seinfeld (the most stupid campaign EVER by any company), and looks like they don't understand and keep going on with this kind of ads....

 

[DMann]

Genius.

And another thing I want to know: When someone decides they want off the Microsoft train and discontinue their subscription *which was a really good deal* do they get to chose those 10 songs per month, or does MS just wipe them out indiscriminately?

You've guessed it

 

[BMWFan]

You've guessed it

You get to choose.

 

[LagunaSol]

Remember what happened to all those sorry saps that bought music from MSN Music or Sony Connect?

It PlayedForSure. Until they folded things up and turned off the servers. Night night!

 

[DMann]

You get to choose.

10 of the thousands of DRM songs you've had access to for $180/year is hardly a deal. Those 10 songs will likely evaporate once subscription is canceled.

Remember what happened to all those sorry saps that bought music from MSN Music or Sony Connect?

It PlayedForSure. Until they folded things up and turned off the servers. Night night!

Tragic.

 

[BMWFan]

10 of the thousands of DRM songs you've had access to for $180/year is hardly a deal. Those 10 songs will likely evaporate once subscription is canceled.

Tragic.

Erm i belive you don't really understand how zunepass works.

you pay $15 a month, and on top of having unlimited access to any music, you get to keep 10 at the end of the month even if you cancel the subscription.

So you keep 120 song a year.

 

[DMann]

Erm i belive you don't really understand how zunepass works.

you pay $15 a month, and on top of having unlimited access to any music, you get to keep 10 at the end of the month even if you cancel the subscription.

So you keep 120 song a year.

Thank you for that, which I was not aware.

 

[SpitzerCR]

cost compared to product is simply just another factor...

People are gonna buy what they like.

 

[BMWFan]

cost compared to product is simply just another factor...

People are gonna buy what they like.

It's another factor, but it's a MAJOR factor. People like Ferraris and most people easily could afford a Ferrari if they wanted to buy one but the cost is too much.

 

[comic101]

Where did my music go?

What happens when little timmy is rocking to his Zune pass then doesn't pay? I personally think owning was I so much better then renting. Because Landlords Suck!

 

[Melrose]

Erm i belive you don't really understand how zunepass works.

you pay $15 a month, and on top of having unlimited access to any music, you get to keep 10 at the end of the month even if you cancel the subscription.

So you keep 120 song a year.

120 divided into $180 is still no kind of bargain. Take out the subscription - since you must maintain the monthly charge or lose everything (effectively paying $180/yr for vaporware) - at the end of the year $180 / 120 is still $1.50 per song!

And I wonder if the '10 free songs' M$ lets you have are completely, openly, indiscriminately of your own choice. Since the Zune 'squirting' or sharing or whatever it allowed some music labels to opt out, I am curious to know what horrible limitation there is on the 10 freebies a month.

I know that if iTunes offered the same deal and it turned out to be songs like their 'song of week' it would suck mightily.

 

[HLdan]

Zune Pass is not a good deal. Up front this SEEMS like a good deal to some who download a lot of music but even those people run out of desired songs that they want to download. First week you'll download a few albums and then week after that you may not download anything and then the following weekend you might download one album or maybe even a few songs.

After a couple of months go by you'll be paying $15 monthly and not download anything. This is all free money to Microsoft or Rhapsody. Also you have to buy a Zune and there are limited choices to what you can buy whereas the iPod has many models.
Then you are required to connect your Zune to your PC every month to verify your active subscription and if you haven't paid your songs are gone after all of that downloading. Sorry, but renting music is not the same as renting an apartment or leasing a car. People keep collections of songs for many years to listen to. In order to do this with Zune you have to stay tethered to their subscription service. FAIL.

Some of you had mentioned that storing your music collection on your hard drive is a bad idea if the drive fails? Ever heard of redundant backup? I have my iTunes library on 2 Macs and a Time Capsule. Anyone smart would have their music backed up on more than one hard drive.

 

[Melrose]

Zune Pass is not a good deal. Up front this SEEMS like a good deal to some who download a lot of music but even those people run out of desired songs that they want to download. First week you'll download a few albums and then week after that you may not download anything and then the following weekend you might download one album or maybe even a few songs.

After a couple of months go by you'll be paying $15 monthly and not download anything. This is all free money to Microsoft or Rhapsody. Also you have to buy a Zune and there are limited choices to what you can buy whereas the iPod has many models.
Then you are required to connect your Zune to your PC every month to verify your active subscription and if you haven't paid your songs are gone after all of that downloading.

You make some very good points. I had completely forgot about the Desired Songs/Downloads Per Month ratio, and hadn't even realized that you had to hook up your Zune once a month to keep it all active.