Apple toying with iTunes subscriptions?
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Apr 11, 2007 at 4:42pm
Since Apple launched the iTunes Store in 2003, CEO Steve Jobs has refused to offer a monthly subscription service. But that could soon change, according to a CNNMoney report (though I’m very dubious this will happen).
Les Ottolenghi, CEO of INTENT MediaWorks, a digital distribution system that works with peer-to-peer networks, told CNNMoney that he’s had meetings with people from Apple. He believes the company will announce a subscription service for 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,” he said. Spokespeople for Apple weren’t available for comment.
However, as CNNMoney notes, it appears that Apple has made the right decision to ignore the subscription model. Rival online music stores, such as Napster, RealNetworks’ Rhapsody and Yahoo’s Y! Music Unlimited, that offer monthly subscriptions have failed to attract a lot of interest. See our March 17 editorial for some more thoughts on this matter.
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
J. Scott Anderson Says:
So…if everyone agrees that a subscription service is bad compared to the now tried and proven approach of buy it and own it, then why does anyone think that Apple would introduce such a failed model?
Posted on April 11, 2007