Subscription music services have struggled to take off in Australia. Nokia's offering is PC only, while Sanity's attempt is so ludicrously overpriced and restrictive that you may as well be smoking hundred dollar notes. But - from the details outlined in the press release at least - Vodafone's MusicStation (a collaboration with Omnifone) offering actually looks like it's not only usable, but downright value for money.

For just $2.75 per week (or $11.95 per month), you get unlimited tracks downloaded to your mobile phone. There are no data charges for the downloads, and the downloads happen in the background, so you can queue up 1000 songs and it will just download while you walk around.

All four music labels are on board, as well as most of the local independents, for a total of over a million tracks at launch. It will be available on nine handsets at launch, but Vodafone plan on adding to that figure quickly. To start with, the MusicStation Service will be offered on the LG KU990 Viewty, Nokia 6121 classic, Nokia E65, Nokia N73, Nokia N95 8GB, Sony Ericsson C902, Sony Ericsson W880i, Sony Ericsson W890i, and the Nokia 6210 Navigator.

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I've never really understood music subscription services. 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. But this week rumours kicked up again regarding an iTunes all-you-can-eat subscription-based model coming as early as September--the same rumours we've heard time and time again. While this time around the whispers are shaky at best, this rumour just won't die, and it's not a complete impossibility that it someday may actually happen. A lifetime iTunes subscription may be the one thing that could change my subscription-hatin' ways (maybe). Is there anyone else with me? Who else doesn't really buy the whole subscription model, and if not, would an all-you-can-eat iTunes change your mind?

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The rumours we heard back in May were true - Sanity has now officially launched its music subscription service, LoadIt, the same service it promised back when Microsoft launched Vista in January 2007. But anybody looking for the future o music consumption should look away fast, otherwise you might sear your eyeballs with the incredible lack of value in Sanity's proposition.

For a start, it's so packed full of restrictions that it makes Cuba look like the centre of the free world. First off, there's the Windows Media association - we knew this was always going to happen, but it essentially means that Mac and Linux users are a no-go. And, of course, anyone who uses an iPod - each song is WMA with DRM, so only Plays For Sure MP3 players will work with this service.

Then there's the track limits. For $29 a month you get - wait for it - the ability to download 300 songs each month. Over time, that's probably not too bad a proposition - 3,600 songs each year isn't terrible value for money. But that first month, when you want to load up your non-iPod MP3 player... You can only grab 300 songs. Worse is that if you do download more than 300, there are excess charges, although what they are isn't spelled out on the LoadIt website. As a point of reference, Napster's subscription service in the US offers unlimited downloads for US$12.95 a month.

And finally, there's the subscription model itself. You pay $29 a month for your music. After a year you might have built up a decent collection. But if you stop paying your subscription fees, all that music will disappear like smoke in the wind, and you'll be left with nothing but a credit card debt and an empty MP3 player.

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