A lot of people in the music industry are predicting that there will be a shift toward Subscription-Based Music Services in the near future. Subscription-Based Services are those like Rhapsody and Zune Pass, in which users pay a monthly fee to have access to millions of songs. Users can listen to music on their computer, MP3 player, and/or cellphone, depending on the service. As long as they are subscribed, they have unlimited access to the music.
This type of service has a few positive aspects to it. For example, users can download as much music as they like. They can download songs that they normally wouldn’t pay for to download. With this service, users can download a song, and if they decide they don’t like it, they can just delete it. A lot of new music can be discovered with unlimited downloads.
However, subscription-based services also have a few downsides. One of the drawbacks is that a lot of these services have limited catalogues. Although these subscription-based services offer millions of songs, they might not carry every single song users are looking for. Another disadvantage is that users do not have a hard copy of the music they download. With CDs, users have a physical copy—one they can play anywhere and can keep forever. Even with songs purchased on iTunes, they can be burned onto a CD. With subscription-based services, though, once the user stops paying, the music is gone.
So in a way, subscription-based music services are more like renting your music. It is going to be difficult making such a shift in a society where people like to own things.
No comments:
Post a Comment