Subscription vs. Ownership

Subscription vs. ownership: is there even an argument? Wouldn't ownership trump subscription every day? You OWN it. The devil is in the details, though. There are benefits for each.

Lets use the example of music. Let's use the two main examples of the subscription and purchase method: Apple iTunes and the Microsoft Zune Marketplace. (Did you really think that this wouldn't come down to a fight between Apple and Microsoft?)

iTunes is probably the most well-known digital music store. Usually for around 99 cents, you can purchase any song you wish, as long as it is in their catalog. This will allow you to download that file, place it on any computer you want, any music device you want or burn it to as many music cds as you want. If you have $14 in October, you can purchase 14 songs and have those songs in November and December even if you have no more money, because you OWN them.

On the other hand, we have the Zune Marketplace. Zune is Microsoft's version of the iPod, and the marketplace is their version of the iTunes store. Microsoft, though, offers ownership for around 80 cents a song, but they also offer a subscription service for $14 a month. With that $14, the subscriber can download as many songs as they want that are available on the Marketplace, listen to those songs on up to 3 computers and listen to them on their Zune music players. So, instead of having 14 songs, you could have thousands.

There is an asterisk, though. You do not own the music with the subscription service. The way the music files are programmed, you DO download them to your computer, but if you do not pay your subscription cost, the music file no longer works for you. So, if you have $14 in October, you can download a thousand songs, but NOT have those songs in November and December if you can't pay the monthly subscription fee.

Is this a stupid way of doing business? Not if you're a person who likes to download new music and songs recommended by friends without first listening to it. Myself, I am something of a music-hoarder, who tries to listen to every new song, band or genre of music. It's difficult for me in an environment like iTunes, because I want to listen to EVERY song and it's hard for me to choose ONE new album. For others, they may only WANT one album a month, or listen to one or two artists, so that $14 a month would be wasted. Also, there are problems: if you have an iPod, it will not work with Zune Marketplace and the other way around. So, before you think about which music device to purchase, think about the options for your music collection.

Are you a music hoarder like me, or a little more restrained and specific about your music choices? The answer may help you decide between iTunes and Zune.


P.S. There are many other subscription services like Rhapsody and even subscription RADIO services that are cheaper, like Pandora. You can also purchase music from Amazon, very easily.