“Virgin Group on Monday is set to launch Virgin Digital Red Pass, the latest choice in the increasingly competitive field of comprehensive subscription music services,” Reuters reports. “In addition to its library and package of editorial and other features, Red Pass undercuts other services by offering unlimited access for $7.99 a month without a contract.”
Reuters , “Users can choose from more than 2 million tracks representing at least 15,000 record labels… All downloaded tracks can be transferred to portable music players that are certified “Plays for Sure,” which includes many devices that can play songs in Microsoft’s WMA format. Apple Computer’s iPod devices are not compatible with any subscription service… One of Red Pass’ unusual features is that users can let their subscription lapse, yet all of their downloaded music and options will be restored when the account is reactivated. Additionally, all purchased tracks will be replaced free, should a user’s computer crash or be lost or stolen within a year.”
Full article here.
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Another music subscription service that, while beginning to address current services’ shortcomings, also suffers from the iPod-incompatibility kiss of death. Virgin Electronics already tried and lost with their “iPod killer” last March, demonstrating their massive lack of stick-to-itiveness and showing just how quickly they are willing to cut and run from their failures. We wouldn’t want a subscription for anything from a company known for jumping in and out of businesses looking for hits and knifing their many misses. Most likely, this is a main reason for not offering a contract; Virgin knows that they might not be around long enough to fulfill the term. This is likely an attempt to compete in the “also-ran derby” to see who can win the battle for Apple’s iTunes Music Store’s table scraps. Hardly an inspiring goal.
We would like to see Apple institute a policy of guaranteeing songs, so that in case of loss, customers can get their songs replaced within a year. Apple knows exactly what we bought and when we bought it. We’ve already paid for it, so let us download it again, if our hard drive takes a dirt nap and we’ve haven’t backed up in awhile or whatever. It’s a nice feature and iTunes Music Store should have it already.
Related articles:
Yahoo doubles its subscription music prices – October 21, 2005
Piper: Napster, Yahoo, MSN, Real fighting for small slice of Apple iTunes Music Store’s pie – September 16, 2005
Microsoft ‘Plays For Sure’ logos don’t always guarantee your music will play for sure – July 06, 2005
Study shows Apple iTunes Music Store pay-per-download model preferred over subscription service – April 11, 2005
Apple’s iPod has blood on its Click Wheel: Virgin Electronics is dead – March 08, 2005
Microsoft debuts ‘PlaysForSure’ logo to signify incompatiblity with Apple iPod, iTunes Music Store – October 15, 2004
This is a good thing. Finally, something worthy of giving Apple a run for its money. I’m starting to notice some compacency with the Music Store, and increased competition will help to keep things fresh.
MDN’s take is dead on.
Obviuosly Richard Branson did NOT make this idiotic decision.
MW= boy, as in “Boy, we’ll just have to fire the bugger who made that idiotic decision.
I krak myself up.
Actually MDN, a lot of Virgin products (broadband, phones etc.) have no contracts, because people don’t like to be tied in.
Got nothing to do with cutting and running. That’s just how they work.
One thing I did note, is that Virgin will replace lost tracks (basically, once you download it, you can keep downloading it) for free, which Apple will NOT.
There is no reason that the iTunes store cannot keep a list of what you downloaded (they have to know what you bought to run their “recommendations”)and allow you to redownload stuff again.
A dirt cheap (below cost) monthly subscription price did nothing for Yahoo music service. Since they’re a company that likes “making money” they recently dramatically increased their rates.
Good luck Virgi
Apple continues to ignore the appeal of network effects, pursuing a closed model. Some people want to chose a subscription service because they’d simply like to sample before they buy. Painting them all as idiots is no way to treat a market segment.
Why is Virgin’s subscription service incompatible with iPods?
Because Apple wants it that way. To paraphrase Rick from Casablanca, Apple, you’ll eventually regret this…”maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, and for the rest of your life.”
If Sony BMG didn’t like Apples policy of 99c per track i can’t see them going for a flat rate 7.99 a month. What if i download 4000 songs a month. They may as well give the music away.
Virgin lands in the online digital downloading) fold, once again.
It’s good to hear and great to see that iPod users don’t have to
concern themselves with this model.
In this world (odd) of fight or flight, you really need a hardware
solution that grabs your audience and holds them. Apple has done
that with the iPod.
Moving on, I needed to subscribe a bulletproof format that couldn’t
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be touched. Apple has that…others are worth checking out, uh-huh.
CT =====]———- V is for Virtuous… V is for Volatile… V is for Vomit
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I was at a server consultant the other day. He uses Napster service. I was not watching closely but he used a program called Sidewayz to downloaded and record music into DRM free files. He handed me five dual layer data DVD disks filled with music he’s converted.
I gave the disks back to him (and did not buy a server from him either). It blows my mind that the record company’s are going along with these subscription based systems when they’re so easy to steal from.
with low power cannot achieve high power? *<•>\<•>
CT =====]———- Flirts with _________! Plows and grades, hold up that flight! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^Anchor down productions.
You make it sounds like it is Virgin’s fault for not making their store compatible. As i recall Apple still won’t license Fairplay to anybody. and of course Virgin has to offer DRM with their subcription. so the only alternative is… M$.
Granted that they are competing with iTunes. and much luck to them for trying. but stop making it sound like it is they are intentionally excluding iPod users.
To be fair to all these other services, to keep calling them iPod incompatible is kind of an easy thing to draw attention to. How exactly are they supposed to be compatable? Use mp3 or aac, sure they can do that but what about the DRM the record companies will make them put on? They can’t use Fairplay because apple won’t let them.
Admittedly the fact that the non-itms stores are almost universally crap (admittedly I haven’t used them but I’ve seen them) but being iPod incompatable is really the hardest thing for them to do anything about.
Interesting reading the Sunday advertisements. All major retailers are featuring the iPod as THE gift for the holidays — often featured on the front cover of catalogs and ads. After this xmas, it will be very clear that Apple has a monopoly on players, and these services will forever be niche players.
I agree that it would be good if Apple instituted a policy that you can re-download music that you have purchased should you have a crash. And I wouldn’t limit it to a year, I would make it forever. Even if they made it a bit of a pain and you had to like fill in forms and get specially authorized, the mechanism should be there.
On the other hand, although the current situation is not ideal, it does provide a motivating factor for backing up more often, which is a good idea in any case.
I also agree that you can’t fault Virgin for not making it iPod compatible, I am SURE they would LOVE to license Fairplay. I just don’t think it is gonna happen any time soon. From the very beginning I have thought that at some point Apple should license FairPlay to sew up the entire Market for a very long time. Though Apple as usual is playing their cards very close to their chest, I think they may be holding this as an ace in the hole to play if it ever looks like their market share is slipping.
I read MDN every day, but I’m beginning to get a wee bit tired of the editors’ blinkered attitude. It’s certainly not Virgin’s fault that their service isn’t iPod compatible.
Personally I think if Apple licenced FairPlay it wouldn’t make any difference to how many iPods they sold. iPods are so good they sell in their own right. Think about it: how many people actually buy an iPod because it comes with iTunes? They buy them because they are sooo cool. The “whole widget” thing is found to be true, only when users get home and start using the “whole widget” not when they’re drooling over the iPods in the store. And… if songs from other retailers could be transferred to iTunes/iPod everyone would be happy. Apple keeps banging on that they don’t make any profit from ITMS, well they could make a profit licencing FairPlay, and then Apple would have a real “Plays for Sure” policy that would trump M$’s lies.
Aside from the Rio Carbon, Virgin’s music player was the only one that came close to the iPod in terms of aesthetics. Shame about the whole software/format side of the equation.
I thought the iPod could read several types of music file formats. why is everything specifically not mac compatible?
I can understand to an extent that they can’t use the same DRM as the ITMS. does anyone know why these other services are just flat out not macintosh compatible? Is that Apple’s doing or the competitors’ doing?
THE most important fact for a Mac news service when announcing a new online music store is: Will it work with an iPod?
Certainly can’t fault MDN for pointing this out.
Another thought: Why can’t these competing music stores release AAC music files with their own DRM that will play on a Mac or an iPod?
mcm-
Because the other services use a version of Windows Media Player that doesn’t exist for the Macs. Microsoft has only included their DRM capability in the Windows versions of WMP.
g$ Thank you for putting some of these other posters right. Fact is that all these other stores committed themselves to MS when they thought that that company would dominate this business. None had any interest in AAC or the mac. Microsoft itself took its own closed route years back (and put this trend into being) when it refused to accept the MPEG standard years back because this open foundation refused to be bullied into using its closed technology as its core and preferred Apples.
No one cared or made a fuss back then or until things changed in the market place. Yet when those long developed plans of MS fail and its brown nosing country cousins lose what they thought was a sure bet win they start the belly aching and then demand Apple opens up its DRM to keep them in business.
Well if they had wanted that in the beginning, if they had got together and developed a joint non specific DRM system independent of MS or Apple, if they had courted Apple back then, then maybe we could have more sympathy for their view but as things stand it would be (especially for Apple) difficult to trust any of them to be true ‘open source’ advocates or indeed friends of Apple. It is practically impossible at present to see them as anything else than Trojan Horses who will use and be used by their irstwhile Masters at MS to develop a way into Apple’s business and then eventually turn it into an opportunity for MS to re establish its hegemony .
Opening up fairplay to a greater degree is something I advocate but only when it is safe and sensible to do so. It is a difficult decision for apple to make and only they (if even they) can work out when that should take place in light of the dangers outlined above.
I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything Virgin does. Someone eles … maybe.
Why couldn’t Virgin create their own player software and DRM for the iPod?
Given that the iPod is the primary “MP3 Player.” And Apple isn’t offering a subscription service. What would stop Virgin from developing iPodLinux into an alternate player for the iPod thus bypassing FairPlay and Microsoft?
A quick look at ipodlinux.org shows me that there are music player apps for iPodLinux. Linux can be installed on an iPod, coexists with the original iPod software, operating software can be chosen on reboot, and can access iTunes libraries/playlists. Virgin or someone else could update this software to operate on the latest iPods, include its own DRM, and release it for Mac/PC to support its subscription service.
Boot into linux and access the subscription music service, possibly John Lennon’s music libraries and non-iTMS iTunes songs. Or boot into Apple iPod OS for standard operation.
Lost the hard drive. Talked to Apple, they let me re-download all the songs I’d gotten from them. No Problem.
Try the Check for purchased music command, et voila.
The labels say that they want more money from iTMS.
Would Virgin care to say exactly how much money the artists and labels will be paid from their service ?
I suspect that we won’t be hearing an answer to that one, just as we don’t from the other subscription services.