Apple planning iTunes subscription service?
According to a CNNMoney blog posting, Les Ottolenghi, CEO of INTENT MediaWorks is convinced that Apple will launch an iTunes subscription service in the near future.
Ottolenghi claims that he heard during private meetings with Apple folks evidence of plans for a subscription-based model on iTunes within the next six months.
“I think Apple is seriously considering a subscription offering right now even though they will probably tell you otherwise,” Ottolenghi said.
Apple has been rumoured to be planning such an offer for a while. However, the company has repeatedly denied the rumours. The company's reps were not available for comments regarding Ottolenghi's claims.
Many of Apple's competitors in the online music market such as Napster, Rhapsody (Real Networks) and Yahoo have already chosen to embrace the subscription model but their success is incomparable to iTunes in terms of revenue and number of customers.
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Apple can't ignore the
Apple can't ignore the subscription model. Half of the consumers will prefer it, so ignoring it would mean losing half of the market.
I'm sure Apple will offer subscription-based iTunes soon and I'll certainly use it.
I'm doubtful, but you really
I'm doubtful, but you really can't tell - on one hand we have EMI accepting DRM just so they can charge MORE for a single download, so I'm not sure they would be over the moon about accepting subscription and then accepting LESS for MORE music.
I would say Apple are more likely to introduce capped download plans like eMusic, which works well for emusic because they are very good value.
Unlimited access would be beyond sweet though, I've recently become addicted to The Filter and this product alongside a subscription to the iTunes Store would be perfect.
If competitors already offer
If competitors already offer subscription plans, why would the majors not let Apple do it?