It looks like the vast influence of P2P is likely at last to help persuade one of the top music execs to start thinking laterally.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071012-universal-prepping-free-subscription-service.htmlUniversal has a plan to change the music download business: give people free, unlimited music subscriptions with the purchase of portable devices.
According to BusinessWeek, the plan is to have companies subsidize the cost of the subscriptions, estimated at five bucks a month. Wireless carriers could offer unlimited music on their cell phones, for instance, and simply build the cost into the monthly fee. Hardware makers who sell "Total Music"-branded devices could build the cost into the price. To consumers, the devices all appear to come with unlimited free (and legal) music from the biggest acts in the business.
What about DRM? This remains unclear, but if the labels are already assured of getting their revenue through hardware sales, their DRM anxiety might fade. Universal is already experimenting with DRM-free MP3 downloads at stores like Amazon.
Watch this space eh folks
