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A new way of consuming music...

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I have long tormented about the process of buying music online, as i know many others have.  Do you buy a regular CD or purchase it with DRM attached from an online music store.   This comes with different limitations depending where your purchase it from.  These range from number of times you can sync it to a device to how many times you can burn it to CD.

However,  I never really looked into subscription based music until i bought my Zune.  Subscription based music services have been available in for a while now with the most popular being the URGE service in WMP11.  Pay a set monthly fee and go to town on all the music you want.

I was reading some email last week on an internal Zune distribution list and someone gave some nice reasons why they prefer a subscription based service:

- Explore find and listen to as much music as you like for no additional cost.
- When you move computers you dont have to worry about backing up music.  If you loose it just download it again.
- If the technology changes you are not locked into one music providers service.  E.g. I could move from URGE to Zune without loosing any music as i just download it from Zune.

So I took the plunge.  I am now a subscriber to the the Zune Pass. An "All you can eat" service.  You get a 14 day trial for the Zune Pass when you buy your Zune then it is a paid for service.

So far it has been great.  I have been filling out my library with stuff i like that i dont have on CD & a whole lot of now stuff that i just dont know if i like or not.  If i do like it I can keep it ... if not ... i just go get something else ... IT RULES!  I imagine some months i will not be using it much ... and others i will trash 50% of the music on my Zune and replace it with new tunes.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    December 19, 2006
    I got me a Zune!!  Hehehe.  Loving it so far, and got it working under Vista.  :D Only problem is that when I sign in with my Live ID, it says that the marketplace isn't available for my region...  :(  How did you get it to work?
  • Brendan

  • Anonymous
    December 19, 2006
    Hi Brendan, GREAT NEWS!!  I love mine ... have it loaded with music and TV etc... Marketplace:  can you email me directly about this at my work address.  You have that right? -Chris.

  • Anonymous
    January 10, 2007
    The comment has been removed