But before I get all bossy about it, it’s worth figuring out what this would mean, exactly. Foley goes straight for the most exciting, and by far least likely scenario, in which the gloriously unlimited Zune Pass would be compatible with iPods and iPhones:

[The Microsoft rep] noted that with the addition of the ability to stream music from a browser that is part of the new Zune 4.0 experience, Mac and Linux users already can stream music to their systems if they have a Zune Pass subscription. The streaming capability isn’t limited to Internet Explorer; it works with any browser, he said.

So what would it mean to take the Zune experience to Apple users? simply make it easier for iPods/iTouch devices to connect to Zune Pass and to run the Zune software? I didn’t get any more specifics from Pinero.

Something seems like it’s lost in translation here, since getting Zune Pass DRM content onto iPods would entail drastic action on Apple’s part as well as Microsoft’s. Not likely.

What this probably means—and this is still a pretty big deal—is that Microsoft is open to porting their Zune software over to Mac, meaning that the Zune HD might one day (one day!) be able to natively sync with OS X, and that Mac users will get to use the visually spectacular, surprisingly useful Zune desktop software. But as far as further device support goes, all is not lost:

Zune is a music and video service from Microsoft. Period… Our next step is mobile phones, but we haven’t talked about a timeline for when that will happen

Ballmer’s been harping on about Zune on other devices, namely mobile for a while, but it’s good to know that the dream, such as it is, isn’t dead. [ZDNet]

Microsoft’s Zune team, of all people, are allowing subscription music buyers to keep 10 songs a month from their subscription downloads. Their whole collection. And 90% of the songs you keep will be DRM free, with the other 10% (wimps) coming along shortly I SHOULD HOPE. The cost is $US15 a month, so $US5 more than the cost of buying the tracks individually. It’s worth the cost of being able to really explore the musical landscape again while keeping the prospect of fully owning my music at the end of a day. All in all, though, it’s much like when we were kids and the radio was the focus of my musical world.

When I was younger, I listened to Z100 as we drove from Jersey to Queens and would later pick up cassette singles at the local mall. Maybe I’m just old and crotchety now, but to me modern radio is a corrupt clusterfuck owned by the RIAA and Washington DC lobbyists, attacking helpful companies like Pandora that try to recommend new music based on our existing tastes. Industry power struggles aside, satellite radio has the same problem. It doesn’t know that I hate the song it’s about to play three times in two hours on a roadtrip. I enjoy the control of digital downloads, but miss the constant exposure to radio coupled with the conversations I could have at the record store: Fresh, timely exposure plus the occasional music purchase.

Of course, the subscription model isn’t new. Subscription services combined with recommendation engines were a great idea, but ultimately not one that had many takers, because many people, including me, saw no reason to shell out money for music that would eventually and inevitably evaporate when the subscription ended. With this hybridised service, the new Zune Pass changes that. At the end of the day, you’ve got the structured presentation of iTunes/Zune software combined with the Mix recommendation engine with full access to an almost endless set of tracks that you can explore. And for the really special songs you want to play for your future kids, you can keep them forever and ever and play on any device you want, Zune or iPod.

The only problem I can think of is that 10 songs usually don’t equal an album, and some might prefer to get $US9.99 worth of credit to use on 10 tracks or an album. And for some of you, this being on PC only and Zune only will be a dealbreaker. Which is why I’m hoping this hybrid music sub/buy model spreads like wildfire.

Before that happens, I’m going to get Parallels/XP on my Mac and I’m switching to a Zune. But I hope other companies pick up this model, too, so I can use new and different ways to explore full music collections without paying a dollar for every track along the way.