In a sign of what’s surely to come sooner or later Apple is angling to offer up unlimited downloads via ITunes. My answer? Yes, please, as soon as possible.
The sooner Apple gets an agreement with the RIAA worked out, the better. Why it has taken this long for the music industry to consider, or Apple to propose, the idea I have no idea. Admit it, we all used Napster when were in college. It was new, it was illegal and it was rebellious. Then Napster was shut down so people moved on to other sites and suffered through spyware and viruses as Kazaa and Morpheus destroyed our computers. ITunes came out and gave us a legal way to download high quality music to our IPods and not face the threat of suit from the RIAA.
If given the chance to pay $100 or $200 for unlimited downloads for the life of the device I would readily jump at the chance. I think many consumers, including those still illegally downloading would do the same. It’s a great idea and would give more bands the chance to promote their music. I’m very hesistant to spend even $.99 on a song unless I’m sure I’m going to like it. If a band doesn’t catch my attention in that 30-second preview window I’m not downloading it. Having an unlimited plan would allow bands to leave sites like MySpace where they have to spam to get an audience and reach a broader group of potential listeners.
How much money do you spend on ITunes every year? I know I don’t spend more than $100/year on ITunes so whatever split the music industry gets is likely going to be more than they get from me right now.
The benefits of broader exposure include increased concert revenue, merchandising etc.
