I actually eat Hot Dogs, i think music will make me really fat.

laio

Now that StationRipper can record Pandora.com, that's all I use - end up just buying the stuff I really like.

StationRipper

My absolute favorite online music store was allofmp3.com. Great selection, easy to use interface (with actually helpful "you might also like" suggestions) and a pay as you download model (pay by the MB downloaded). Sure, your money was probably going to Russian mobsters, but hey, they gotta eat too...

Toshie

Why is torrent sites not listed? =p

mordecaidrake

Why people would pay for ultra compressed music is beyond me!

Pay = Media
Compressed = Nabed from the net!

JEmlay

Zune Pass works well for me. I don't feel the need to own music files. Lets face it in a few years a better format will come out and every song you own will become obsolete. Just rent them with subscription

oneclick

Wow, I didn't realize the subscription model was so popular!

liquidsoapdispenser

I use internet radio to discover new music, and then download it from a variety of sources (iTunes, Torrent, Limewire). And some times, when I'm feeling nostalgic, I buy a "CD" from a "Store". My car stereo has a CD/MP3 player and a USB port so I have some options in the car. Don't really have a need to pay $20 a month for music that disapears.

CaptEO2000

@HellTempest: I never exactly said that I paid for it, now did I... just kidding, of course ;)

Shad

I use a music subscription service called P2P and I really like it. Has just about everything. I've been using it for years and they have yet to send me a bill.

timwayne

Is that an annual fee for a lifetime subscription? As a lifetime cost for a lifetime subscription that's pretty irresistable (all of the options)... pretty unfeasible and clearly not your intent, but it's not so clear.

(Does anyone actually try to call it a lifetime sub? Because that's a major problem: none of those offering subs have the financial power, profit, or fortitude to survive a lifetime of music listening.)

Tim Faulkner

Nah. Get all my music free using Vixy and Free Music Zilla.

takashimiike Ultimate

I love unlimited music....Limewire is the best... oh wait you mean legal music...never mind.

@snoop-blog: Fuck the RIAA.. had to get it out of my system.

Boots_Mcoy

Is pirate bay considered a subscription based music getting service?

CTJoyce

I would subscribe to an "iTunes Unlimited" subscription service if they would:

1) Combine aspects of music base SNSs (last.fm, MOG, iLike, etc.) into iTMS. I.e., make iTunes Unlimited an SNS in itself, or, at least, partner in a strong way with one of the SNSs out there.

2) Combine aspects of successful P2P sites, like OiNK, What, and Waffles. Let people rank and link artists, releases etc.

3) Combine aspects of services like Pandora and Muxtape (who seem to be on the way out). Especially Pandora type streaming service that does a great job at guessing tracks you'd like and playing them in a radio fashion. Based not only on an artist or song, but on your history of downloads, groups you belong to in the iTMS SNS. Make it so you can rank the music that's being played using the star system (like everything in iTunes) and allow settings so that anything ranked higher than X number of stars will automatically get downloaded on your computer. Give the option of buying those tracks when you decide to unsubscribe.

4) Make all of that available on the iPhone/iPod touch as well.

For that, I'll gladly pay $150/yr.

Dearhaw

subscription based services don't let you own your music which bugs me. i like having all of my music in a folder and able to access at any time. without paying to do so i might add.

moviscop

Im just saying you know WHAT is better for all you can eat. .CD's

odnet

Why won't the last question let me pick nothing?!?!

Evangelion

@Shad: LimeWire sucks, why would you pay for something like that?

Real men use UTorrent or other things like that.

HellTempest

@nutbastard: Yeah but I'm too paranoid to admit to stealing music on blogs, especially using certain pc's, and I'm already being followed by RIAA so I don't steal, how's that...

snoop-blog

@maven2k: no it doesn't sound bad at all, but it's not like I'm rocking a bad ass system or anything. You can't have anything nice like that in my hood. And forget buying cd's, I'd rather use memory that I can clear out, and reuse. Plus when I leave my car (for school or whatever) I can still take my music.

snoop-blog

Rhapsody is a great way to discover music. smegz made a great point about no 30sec samples, you also get to listen to the entire Rhapsody catalog from any computer via their web interface. No other company offers that. If you are having a party, just throw together a playlist and rock out all night. If someone wants to hear a particular song they can hear it. If you are hanging out between classes or at the coffee shop, you can jam out. It is really a great service and it is much more reliable than a year or two ago. For $15 you can beat it and it is even cheaper if you just want to stream and not download to a portable device. I really hope they stick around if even just for the ability to stream from any computer.

slaughter33

im subscribed to limewire

Shad

@snoop-blog:

wouldnt it be easier just to torrent?

nutbastard

I'd have to say that Yes. I would totally do a yearly subscription. Especially since it would only take like a week (or five minutes) for the internets to provide a music cracking solution.

YourTechSupport

I did try Rhapsody once when I was using my 20GB Zen Touch. At the time I was largely into independent labels and they had few. Now they have more. The one benefit of a service like Rhapsody is the ability to listen to anything before you buy it. No 30 second samples here. That does have some great value; especially with the utter demise of radio in the SF Bay Area (you want rock? you got 2 choices...classic rock or...classic rock...granted 1 of the 2 does play new stuff too.)

My friend swears by Rhapsody on his little 8Gb Sansa. He downloads channels so he gets a good mix of styles he likes. Great way to discover new music.

The iTunes model is broken due to the lack of this very feature. It is HARD to discover new music on iTunes because you cannot give it a listen first. You have to take it on faith, or a 30 second sample, that you will actually like the music that they have recommended for you.

Now...you can have your cake...and eat it too. Rhapsody now allows you to buy MP3's and to listen to a limited amount of tracks per month without having to buy a subscription service. The tracks cost $0.99 and most albums clock in at $9.99.

smegz

@snoop-blog: I'm not trying to be an ass, but doesn't that sound kind of, well, shitty?

maven2k

nope sorry. I just go to youtube to play anything I don't already have. As far as my car goes, well I download youtube vids onto my psp with psptube, then run headphone cable from psp to my car's head unit.

snoop-blog

i think i would try it, as long as it was unrestricted access. i am not into lifetime subscriptions. so probably wouldn't go that way.

phryed

Are you Jeff Vader?

Subscription-based music is probably the wave of the future, I just can't stomach any of the current methods of disseminating it, personally.

s0crates82

Nah. Our overlord said that we shouldn't have subscription services because we love to own our music. Then again, he also said that his sweatshop wasn't interested to be in the mobile phone business.

theMOE

Oh I love subscription based music.

"Despite the conveniences, to date I have never, ever felt the need to lease something that can get imprinted on your heart like only music really can. It needs to be mine."

Oh with subscription based music, there are ways. :)

ripfire

@JonnieCrunch:

...and the current system is fair to artists?

newtype2011

I don't download enough music for a subscription service to make sense. Also, the abandoning of users of other subscription services by the likes of companies such as Microsoft makes me not want to have the threat of that potential hassle. I like my music on my machine, backed up on my external drive and insured by my homeowner's insurance.

graverobber- It says Loud Pipes Save Lives

I have a Zune Pass and I love it. I don't mind that I lease the majority of my music, just like I don't mind that I rent most of the movies I watch.

The truth is that I get bored with music pretty easily, at which point it's time to raid the Zune marketplace for something new. For the stuff that isn't available (which includes some important bands), or the albums that I love and really must own, I buy CDs. I think that my musical horizons have dramatically expanded since I got my Zune because I've downloaded and listened to albums that I wouldn't have bought.

I'm not like this with everything though - I absolutely must own video games. I buy them, play them, keep them forever.

theoldwolf

to download an unlimited number of songs all year long through itunes, i would pay almost any amount - up to $500... whether or not this will happen is another story, because it does not sound too fair to the artists :S

JonnieCrunch

Wait, if you pay upfront for a lifetime of use, then eventually, the store wouldn't be obligated to the customer, you'd be "obligated" to the service because you wouldn't be able to get a refund. ***ahem [insert cellphone provider of your choice here]***

hammertime1994

I think the real point to be made in this poll is that iTunes is TERRIBLE. If you need to use a subscription music service... rhapsody is infinitely better, and available in an annual price of $150.

Once again... apple software = the devil

They should stick to making PCs

ssnowblind

I don't like the subscription service.

I don't like that I'll be stuck with a format that they dictate to me to use. I don't like that if they ever decide to shutter it, I'll be out all of my music. I don't like the idea of paying money for something that doesn't really exist on my computer in a way that I'll be able to keep in perpetuity.

If they fix all of those things, then sure, sign me up. But it's not ever going to happen.

Why can't we just all pay ASCAP and E(B?)MI the $500 they get from bar owners and not have to worry about what music we listen to or where we get it from? Fuck the RIAA. How about I mail a check to the artist, and they mail me back a CD?

DeeJayQueue

I have a Zune Pass and it works for me. My wife and I each have all the music we want on our Zune's and 3 computers. I understand the whole owning your music thing, but honestly I don't listen to the same music for long periods of time. $15/month is reasonable for what I get and with our $75 30GB Zunes from Woot, it ends up being pretty reasonable.

awraynor

My Zune Pass works wonders for me. I use it to find new artist then If I like them I buy the CD. I have avoided many musical diasters by using zunepass, (Yes Usher I am looking at you), and found some gems (Mr. Carter...you sir make me proud to be a New Orleanian). Besides, someone outh there has a DRM stripper if I need to keep the music sans subscription.

He who will not economize will have to agonize.
--Cordfucious

Cordfucious v 2.0.1

Subscription music service?????? F**K No, so they can Nuke my music library when i can't make a payment???? i get all my music from limewire and if is not there i'll buy it from itunes, but No fuc*ing way am going to pay a monthly service for just music, is not like some of us didn't have enough monthly bills already

snitch29

I have been contemplating a Zune Pass since I found out my phone (which uses Windows Mobile 6) is compatable and I wouldn't have to buy another device.

I never thought I would subscribe to Sirius Satellite Radio either, but since using my free trial that came with my new car, it's SO much better than the radio stations here that it was worth the cost.

There's 4 or 5 CD's I want right now, and a subscription would only cost the price of 1, I could listen to those 4 CDs until I get bored of them and in 6 months find something new.

The only thing that would keep me from an iTunes subscription is if I decide to go with an Android phone over an iPhone next.

DreamWalker

I would love to actually spend money on music I enjoy but these services never offer the music I want from other countries like Japan, once they do offer the music then I will think about buying them.

Emiat

@Shad: Eh, I just don't really like LimeWire that much.

HellTempest

Bravo for the Death Star Cantina reference. Bravo!

LoganAdams

"all you can eat subscription service" Hmmm, I guess you could call it something like that.

zeroprime

unless i have a lot of disposable income i dont see myself paying for music in the near future.

rudez90

All-you-can-eat music AND video. I'd gladly pay 20 bucks a month for that kind of one-stop shopping.

DanteDiablo

My free all-you-can-eat music subscription service is called the public library.

ahbi

There is very little music produced these days that is worth paying for. As for a lifetime iTunes subscription service...I don't trust Apple that far.

bms

All you can eat torrents. Yum.

LJN

Rhapsody>iTunes

What's the allure of owning music? I listen to whatever I want on Rhapsody until I'm tired of it and I haven't wasted any money on it or broken any laws.

Junginator

No.

Too many wet trays.

tehdahl

@Shad: You should get Frostwire... it's the same thing as Limewire, but free.

Joseph

lol Eddie Izzard quotes.

turi319

My favorite non-evil music site Magnatune now offers ala-carte streaming and download subscriptions. Oh, and if you have the download subscription... you own the music.

Learethak

Rhapsody FTW. I used to buy an album a month (at least). I much prefer to spend that same $10 but get EVERYTHING.

WMyers

seems like its only useful if you have a bar or gym and you want a constant influx of new music without getting sued...

urbanturban666

I wouldn't ever go for a music subscription, BUT i do think that iTunes movie rentals will never catch on until they have a Netflix-like subscription model.

kellygeorge

Subscription Music is the same as subscription Movies, Netflix and Blockbuster, only better. So if you rent movies you should have no problem renting music.

slaughter33

@newtype2011: sadly no... but this sounds even worse!

JonnieCrunch

@WMyers: Exactly. For the price of one CD you can listen to a million. I check Metacritic.com, for new music and can find (pretty much) all of it on Rhapsody. If you really (really) like something you can buy it for $.99.

Junginator

I'm not up to date on the iTunes Plus tracks (they are called iTunes Plus, right?) but I don't consider buying a song from the iTMS any different from renting.

A good subscription service, provided priced right, would be amazing. In essence, your computer would become a iPod to the iTMS which you could resync to get (ideally) any song ever made.

Hear a song in a movie that you like? Download it. Then download everything else the artist has ever made to see if you like them too. If not, who cares?

Digital downloads were suppose to save people from buying a whole album when all they really wanted were two tracks. But with a service, it could be the other way around, you get the track you want, but get every album with it as well.

This scares me a little bit, as I'm wanting to switch to Songbird more with every release. An iTMS subscription could be the one thing to keep me around.

WiwiJumbo

Here is the bottom line for me....

I work for a living & expect to be paid for my services. I see a lot of juvenile posts here from people who download for free & think they are screwing the RIAA, Sony, the recording industry, etc.

The fact of the matter is you are screwing the artists who are creating the music you love and if you keep doing itthey won't be able to afford continuing to make said music. Imagine how long your favorite sports team would be around if you could sneak into the park/stadium/arena and watch them for free.

Subsription music provides a way to reasonably pay for music and keep the artists gainfully employed with distributed royalties. I have a Zune specifically because of the Zune Pass, don't flame me because I really don't care if you think the IPod is better. For the price of 1 CD per month I can download a crapload of music and not feel like I'm ripping someone off.

Subscription services are a great way to get as much music as you can listen to without stealing it via P2P.

johncon3

i would pay 20$ a month for oinks.

anything less than oinks can suck it.

endless

I love Eddie Izzard

chizelord

I'm loving the Zune Pass on my Woot Zune. I've got it set up for me, my girlfriend, and my computer at work. A lot of value for $15 a month.

Catalyst

So... has nobody heard of Napster? It's sick. Same price as Rhapsody, except it actually downloads files to your hard drive. Someone said something about not being able to back stuff up? You can, and they will always work, even if you reformat your computer, as long as your subscription is active. Sure, they are DRM WMA's, but... well, if you know what you're doing, it's not like there isn't a way around that :O Which means that they also work on iPods!

andyc52042

I'll rip my own CDs to lossless, thank you.

Skorpius

@andyc52042:
Rhapsody subscription tracks can also be transferred to ipods, its just a gigantic pain in the ass.
I love rhapsody, mainly because it works with most sansa players. Being unable to put music on any device is the only drawback for me so far.

roflwaffles

People pay a subscription to satellite radio, and even though satellite radio has lots of channels... you are still a slave to THEIR playlists. It's still radio. You hear what they want you to hear.

I'd rather pay Apple $12 a month to get any song I've ever wanted on my iPod, when I want to hear them. New songs come out, just grab them. Get tired of a song, delete it.

Satellite radio is a service too, but you still have to put up with the old radio rules. An Apple service would put the songs in your pocket for you to listen to when you want.

At least give people options... you can still buy individual songs, or continue to buy CDs. This would be a third way to consume music.

MichaelScrip

i have a subscription to giganews, if that counts

elislider

emule torrent or if i really like it buy a CD which has all the lyrics and stuff in the box

rrwakc

Rhapsody+MuvAudio=Unlimited music I can do whatever I want with for the price of one CD a month.

Kiamat

Shocked no one mentioned Lala...it is pretty sweet and you can preview the whole song...it's not as full blown as itunes but it's less expensive...drm free...and pretty decent quality...320kbps...

MacRule36

Nope, but then I only buy maybe 1 or 2 cds a year (not counting audio books).

dry-roasted-peanuts

WHY DOES EVERY PICTURE HAVE TO HAVE AN ICRAP ON IT?
This site is getting rediculus...
MAKE A SPECIAL APPLE SECTION TO TALK ABOUT IPHONE OR ITUNES AND CRAP LIKE THAT.

nitefire77

@Skorpius: FLAC? It's a good way to go.

Human Bomb

I didn't realize that you have to give the music back with subscription services. I'm behind the times.

NotAppealing

Zune Music Pass. No issues, no problems, very few songs that are "buy only" (at least the ones I want), and only $14.99.

FatalisticDread

@theoldwolf: agreed...with all points. I love just searching for a good band, clicking another 4 or 5 times and finding someone new that is similar or way different but still enjoyable.

I have more new music on my Zune right now (new "who-the-hell-is-this?" bands/artists) than my older "tried and true" music.

FatalisticDread

I've been using Rhapsody since the day it came out. I LOVE it. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. I'm all for owning my music and for some reason a bunch of the morons on here keep saying that these services don't let you own, which is WRONG. You can buy ANY song for 99 cents (89 if you are paying a subscription) and they are YOURS. Not leased, but yours. Paying the subscription is basically like paying for the ability to listen to more than a 30 second clip of a song in itunes. At a 10 cent a song discount, if you are buying more than a couple albums a month, the subscription PAYS for itself. Also to note, Rhapsody has a pretty big MP3 store, so you can actually buy songs you want and play them on youre iDevices. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Key point: I'm a HUGE mac fanboy and as such apple has taught us to see value where there is value. We pay more for everything apple because they have value. Don't be ignorant haters just because something isn't from Apple. Other things have value too.

boringgeek

i already pay for a subscription: rapidshare.com

gets me what i want, how i want it, and when i want it.
can't beat that shizzz.

kevinl

Not unless they dropped, into an escrow account at a Swiss bank, an amount equal to 1000 times the price I paid for the subscription. To be payable to me *immediately* upon changes to, cancellation of, or demands of more money for the "lifetime" account.

Lifetime. Gimme a break. Anyone know of *any* lifetime guarantee (for something tech, as opposed to Zippo lighters or Craftsman tools) that still exists more than 5 years out?

redoregon

I pay for premium streams @ di.fm or is that not the same??
Now all i need is a phone-subscription that gives me unlimited internet and I can stream di.fm to my phone (guess that would REALLY hurt my battery life, especially because I already use an AD2P Bluetooth headset with my walkmanphone ;)

zyberteq

@kevinl: that plus megaupload is the only way to go! plus, firefox will scan for viruses as well!

hindsight2020

I'm a huge proponent of the music subscription model and am convinced the industry will ultimately head this direction as labels continue to fall to the wayside Look at the emergence of new technologies like Topspin that allow artists to circumvent labels altogether and go direct to the fans. Most of them are doing subscription based packages where they get extra perks and benefits.

And as for services like Rhapsody, I absolutely LOVE it. I have millions of songs at my fingertips that I can listen to anywhere, anytime I like. When you're a die-hard music addict, there's no better way to stay on top of new music.

I'm sure the Apple rumors are true. I'm just surprised it took this long.

theocmd

"Less than $100" and "Up to $100" mean the same thing :-?

macaddct1984

YAARRRG!

Joseph_Shaw_520

Re: the first poll - I really do much prefer my music to be possessed. Much more interesting that way, you know?

Sean Robertson

This is such a stupid question -- subscription and own-your-music is not mutual exclusive. You can be on subscription with Rhapsody and still be able to purchase a track if you ABSOLUTELY MUST own it. To me, the math is simple, if I own my music, I will have to pay a lot more every year than if I subscribe. Everyone's mileage is different. If you only buy 10 tracks a year (assuming that you don't "own" more w/o paying for them), I don't see why subscription is good for you.

pixelslave

Dude, Spiralfrog. Been using it since December. It's an ad Supported Subscription service. It's selection is limited but it's FREE.

PieroAuge

Subscription vs. Purchase is not an either/or question. I have used three subscription based services (Yahoo Music, Rhapsody and Zune Pass) and each also offered purchase as well. So adding a subscription option to iTunes wouldn't necessarily harm users who prefer to purchase.

And don't forget, the user never owns DRM content (e.g., iTunes purchases) so in effect we're all renting. Thankfully, some publishers are now allowing purchase in non-DRM formats.

I prefer a subscription model for two reasons:

1) As a hedge against the provider changing terms. If, for instance, Zune decides to raise their monthly rates, or delete my favorite albums, or change their format such that it is incompatible with my old XP laptop, then I can stop paying.

2) My preference is to listen to a wide variety of entire albums in my office (no portable player needed). Purchasing at $0.99 song would be much more expensive for me. My typical day begins by reading pitchforkmedia.com's new record reviews and queuing up any available album with a score higher than 6.0. Usually that's two or three entire new albums per weekday. Assume 10 songs/album, 40 albums/month and $0.99/song and you get $396/month! Further, it's usual that I only listen to a small fraction of these more than once. When I really like an album, I purchase the physical CD media. I'm sure my listening habits are not average, but subscription works best for me and as far as I can tell does not interfere with others who prefer the purchase model.

Currently I prefer Zune Pass. Yahoo Music is defunct, and my experience with Rhapsody software and portable players was very disappointing. I do not own a Zune portable player, but I've used them and they are miles ahead of Sansa and most other non-Apple brands in quality. If Apple were to offer a subscription model, I would immediately give it a try. If an iTunes subscription service had a good selection of albums, I'd almost certainly switch to it for all the other advantages of the iTunes/iPod world (more high-quality portable players, more accessories, more supported platforms, better TV content, etc.) over its competitors. The only downside I can see would be the curious absence of FM radio in iPods.

jwfearn

I think it is important to remember with Rhapsody you can have unlimited downloads to up to four devices. So if you have a wife and kids all on one account for 15 clams a month it makes sense. All you can eat has always been good to me, except the DRM.

mj5300

Zune Pass is awesome, I listen to the music on my sound system connected to my computer and my Zune Player lives in my car. I broke down and got a zune pass because I was sick of dealing with organizing MP3s. I know people always argue that if you stop paying you lose the music, the people who say that are usually pirating so I'm not sure why they think I couldn't just turn to their method. Zune on my PC, Laptop, 2 Xbox 360s, and 2 Players in the cars that wifi sync. Download 4,000 songs from iTunes and tell me how much you paid because I only pay 15 bucks a month.

FelixKlimchuck

Apple has lost a customer in several areas because of their refusal to add a subscription service. I would happily switch back to iTunes from the Zune store if such a service were implemented. It follows that I would have bought a Mac as opposed to my PC, but I'm not willing to install Windows on a Mac just to sync my Zune. My subscription has allowed me to download what would otherwise amount to thousands of dollars of music per month, for the price of 45 songs.

On the other hand, I think most iTunes customers are so entrenched in the system that they will continue to buy from Apple's store. I don't think that the Zune poses a major threat, and I think it is possible and likely that Apple would lose more money than they would gain by implementing a subscription service. In my view, any music purchased through a computer is essentially being leased anyway, because more efficient formats will come along and better quality will be available in smaller file sizes, with no DRM, for less money. The only benefit I can see for Apple is that it would promote discussion and bring some renewed interest in the iPod line, which, as I understand it, has stagnated in sales lately (although the iPhone has gotten more and more attention).

point1432

I use eMusic, you get all the mp3's DRM free (192 vbr encoding) and can re-download them anytime. Song selection is decent if you are more indy type and less in need for the new weezer album. But a great/cheap way to get introduced to new bands. $15 for 50 songs. It still needs some work, but it'll get there.

tacofighter

Quite frankly, if you don't like or "get" the point of a subscription service until i-tunes does it, your what we call a "fanboy." Nothing is correct until Steve Jobs says it is. Get over it. If you don't like it, then don't do it.

BEYR

I used Yahoo with the Sansa Connect. Absolutely the best player/store system available. It was awesome. Too bad Yahoo and Sansa had NO F*CKING CLUE how to market a revolutionary device.
Bummer. :(
So now it's Rhapsody for me. Not as cool with no Wi-Fi, but it's got great software. For less than the $ of one CD per month, I get to listen to pretty much whatever I want.
I sincerely hope Apple does a subscription service, just so I can enjoy reading all the fanboys discuss how awesome Steve is for inventing such a revolutionary concept.

DJFonzi

Recorded music should promote an artist/band to see them live.

Higher750

@graverobber- It says Loud Pipes Save Lives: That was DRM protected music and not the subscription based services that have caused the problems. You pay for cable but don't keep the shows, its the same thing.

The_Red_Monkey

I use the Zune service on top of buying music. The 14.99 a month is little to pay to listen to whatever itch I get. I can listen to some horrible Vanila Ice or to a new album or an artist I would normally not check out. Then I still buy albums on top of that.

Its a great way to explore music without penalty.

The_Red_Monkey