Sony BMG could launch subscription music service

Posted Mar 25th 2008 11:30AM by Brad Linder
Filed under: Audio, Internet

In an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Sony BMG CEO Rolf Schmid-Holtz explained that the music studio is considering launching an all-you-can-eat style subscription music service. There aren't a ton of details at this point, and it's not even clear if this subscription plan will ever materialize, but here are a few highlights from the interview:

The service would probably cost between 6 and 8 Euros per month (or $9 to $12).
This isn't just idle talk. Sony BMG has conducted at least enough market research to set what theybelieve is a fair price.
Sony will continue to sell music through Apple's iTunes Store.

Now for the confusing part. Tracks would play on all MP3 players, including the iPod. We assume this means the music would have to be DRM-free, but Schmid-Holtz also explains that most of the music would no longer play if you stop paying your monthly subscription bill. Huh?
[via Engadget]

Tags: drm, mp3, music, sony, sony-bmg

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