Apple To Do Subscritption Music? Huh?

According to the Financial Times is reporting that Apple is in talks with the Big 4 about giving users total access to music via a subscription service. It seems as though this would work after purchasing a special iPod or iPhone (potentially for a $100 premium over current prices) for the ability to download music for one year without paying for it. Nothing is final, but this 'rumor' has actually been confirmed, which is nice for a change.

Now, this is something I've wanted for a long time and would be somewhat excited to see come to fruition. However, I agree with my good friend MG Sielger over at Venture Beat. While it is something that people could enjoy and be asking for, the way it is set up seems overly complicated, especially for Apple. Plus, as MG says, why would you want to fix the system they have which isn't even close to broken, or even bruised for that matter. Selling songs for 99 cents is what has made the iPod so powerful (yes, the iPod) as it has cause people to come out in droves to purchase the portable music players.

Personally, I don't see this taking off. iPods are not the cheapest thing and lots of people already have them. With iPod sales slowing, adding $100 to that price isn't exactly going to boost sales. The model doesn't seem to fit with me and, frankly, I'm surprised that the labels are going along with it as well. Although, I suppose that getting more of your music "sold" onto the biggest selling music player and store is always a good thing to be a part of. We'll just have to wait and see for this one...

Photo by Flickr user: nebarnix.

The Beatles Rock, Except on iTunes...or Do They?

It wouldn't be a right to not talk about the Beatles/iTunes speculations at least once a month, so here is this months edition of the daytime soap-opera that is the greatest band of all time and Apple.

The United Press reported on Saturday that Paul McCartney had reached a $400 Million deal with Apple to put the entire Beatles catalog on iTunes which would also involve EMI, Sony, and Michal Jackson (the majority holder of Beatles' publishing rights). Also getting in on the action: Ringo Starr as well as the families of George Harrison and John Lennon.

However, Billboard reports today that this is totally unfounded and has no factual support. Apple has dismissed these claims as "unsubstantiated speculation."

So who to believe? Well, talks of the Beatles finally being on the iTunes catalog have been going on since, well, since the creating of iTunes and were recently very hyped for the last Macword in January '08. In the Billboard article, they report how McCartney personally told them that a deal with iTunes was "virtually sealed" and that George Harrison's widow, Olivia, confirmed this back in June of 2007; yet we still have no Beatles on iTunes (no, McCartney's songs don't count).

Until I see an official report from Apple/iTunes with the songs available for purchase and I actually myself purchase a song through the giant online store and it plays flawlessly, then, and only then, will I believe any of this hype. We've had so many stories over the past few years of the Beatles coming to iTunes that I've become immune to any story that involves both parties. However, that doesn't mean I won't continue to report the hype, I mean, c'mon, it's fun.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user: erglantz.

facbookTunes? Maybe...

It appears as though Facebook, and it's creepy uncle Myspace, are both attempting to woo the big four (Sony BMG, Universal, Warner, EMI) into deals to allow them to either sell or stream (or both and more) music from their respective social networks to the masses. A potentially huge deal for both ends, it has the potential to shake up iTunes, if not just a little.

According to Mike Sachoff over at WebProNews, the discussions are in the preliminary stage, but executives have dished out a few details: services could include (though not limited to) ad-supported free streaming music as well as mp3s available for download for a fee. However, before anything gets settled on the myspace front, that tiny little lawsuit between them and Universal, you know, the one where Universal claims that mypsace is aiding users in uploading/converting Universal's and allowing them to "stream" for free on the user's personalized pages, would have to be settled.

This could be a huge deal, if either or both go through, as the user count for each is around 65 million and 110 million users for facebook and myspace, respectively. With that kind of massive amount of users, if even 10% of them use the proposed services (which is a gross underestimate), both parties are bound to make a fair amount of coin. This also could be a potential threat to iTunes as it seems as though it may be the first genuine digital competitor for the online giant. If the deal could ensure that songs downloaded would be iTunes/iPod/iPhone compatible, then Apple could have a pesky, nagging little foe in it's virtually competitor-less online world.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user: pshab.