Artist details (Hands-on with the Zune Pass subscription music service)

TalkBack 10 of 17:

Next »

« Previous

• Thread View
• Flat View

Because of selection and price, that's why...

Why exactly would it be a problem if the service folds? If it does I can find a different subscription service and once again download all the songs I want, all the while still paying the same flat rate. What, won't they have the same songs?

Well, in fact, they may not have the same songs. Not every label is on board with every service. And some artists individually sign deals with certain services. (Guns 'n Roses, for example, did this with Best Buy releasing "Chinese Democracy".)

And the other problem with a subscription service is that you keep paying for music, rather than paying for it once. That means that if the price suddenly shoots up, or if the cost of a minimum subscription shoots up, you're on the hook for that increase. If you buy your music outright, you pay for it once and keep it forever.

[iIf I ended up listening to more music than someone else that has to pay for each song in order to "own" it, but I also paid less, then how am I worse off?

If you don't care about keeping the music long-term, then you're not any worse off, I suppose. But the point of buying music, rather than renting it, is that you're not committing yourself to a device or a platform. That way, if the device or the platform goes down, you don't lose anything.

I've personally never owned an iPod. I didn't really like the iTunes file format, or the idea of it, and iPods always seemed to be a little bit behind the curve in anything but user interface. (Even now, there's still no iPod with a built-in FM radio, or a built-in recorder.) But that doesn't mean that everything about the iPod is wrong. Owning your music is still better than renting it, where you have to keep paying for it endlessly.

Posted by: bhartman33@...   Posted on: 11/23/08 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Five Steps to Determine When to Virtualize YourServers VMware Server virtualization isn't just for big companies. Entry-level ... Download Now
• Three Steps You Need to Know to Stop Data Loss Varonis Sensitive data exposed to misuse or loss... it is the stuff of nightmares ... Download Now
• The Impact of Virtualization Software on Operating Environments VMware Today's use of virtualization technology allows IT professionals to ... Download Now