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iTunes Not Going Subscription with Multi-Pass

Thursday, March 9th, 2006 at 7:40 AM - by Staff

After Tuesday's introduction of the Multi-Pass at the iTunes Music Store (iTMS), several news sources have erroneously reported that Apple is joining the ranks of Napster and RealNetworks by launching a subscription-based service. Multi-Pass is actually a pre-paid discount that lets customers purchase a set number of downloadable TV episodes before they are available at the iTMS.

Multi-Pass was launched simultaneously with the addition of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. Users can purchase a Multi-Pass to either show for US$9.99 and receive the next 16 episodes just as if they had purchased them individually, but at a substantial discount off the $31.84 they would cost if purchased one at a time.

Just like any other song, video, or TV show purchased at the iTMS, programs purchased through a Multi-Pass download to your computer and remain playable without requiring you to pay any additional fees.

Unlike the iTMS purchase model, Napster and RealNetworks offer customers a subscription-based model that requires users to pay a monthly fee to continue to listen to their music. Although big label recording companies are pressuring Apple to change the iTMS to a subscription service and charge higher prices, Apple is resisting the move.

Apple sells individual songs at the iTMS for $0.99 each, and videos and TV shows for $1.99 each.

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bryson said:

member since 05 Mar 2002 with 79 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:54 am

Of course they erroneously reported it. That's because the media doesn't do any research, they just hear something, some rumor, some snippet of information and do this knee-jerk reactionary reporting just to get the story out there before someone else rather than looking into the facts.

Especially true in teh area of technology.

Makes you wonder what else they are reporting incorrectly.

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Mar 09, 2006 10:57 am

This morning CBS business news reported that Apple is "experimenting" with subscription service. I went to their web site, but after drilling around I could not find the story so I could quote it for a complaint. Maybe I will just stop fooling around and switch to Fox News and stop worrying about accuracy.

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:02 am

I disagree, bryson. The media do a lot of research. It's the only way they can be so consistently wrong. Otherwise, they'd sometimes be right by sheer dumb luck.

Indeed, seeing the amount of BS they say about technology, it makes you doubt on the accuracy of the rest on their content. It's exactly how I feel about the Swiss newspaper 'Le Temps'. I always found it kinda sad that the best technology articles I could find in a non specialised medium was in the TV guide.

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rgshelton said:

member since 17 Jan 2006 with 7 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:11 am

It may not be a subscription, but it's a good idea and I hope Apple convinces the network types to do this for other shows. I for one would never pay as much as they want for a season of a show at the resolution they offer it at. It's almost the price of a DVD set for most of the offerings. $10-$15 for a season, that's more reasonable. Same reason I'll buy an "album" from itunes for $9.99 if the CD is $17.99 everywhere else. If I can get it for $12.99 from Amazon or Best Buy, I'll do that. I would imagine sales of entire seasons are not as brisk as they would have hoped.

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:22 am

Getting accuracy from Fox News? That made me bust my gut.

jr

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:26 am

<plug="shameless">

We saw this one coming. Read yesterday's RandomMaccess: "RandomMaccess Analysis: Reuters gets it wrong in iTMS 'Multi-Pass' analogy"

[http://www.randommaccess.com/articles/1141852404.shtml]

</plug>

--

Chuck La Tournous

Editor.Publisher, RandomMaccess.com

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MOSiX Man said:

member since 20 Jun 2001 with 558 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:17 pm

Leelu Dallas...

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:57 pm

Now that I think about, Apple did launch a "subscription" service, just like a magazine subscription. You agree to get the next bunch of whatever for a specific period and pay up front for it.

Which begs the questions: Why the hell do these "RENTAL" music companies get away with calling their service a subscription?

When I cancel a magazine subscription, I don't have to return the magazines!

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Rainy Day said:

member since 07 Jun 2005 with 607 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Fri Mar 10, 2006 12:01 am

bryson wrote:
Makes you wonder what else they are reporting incorrectly.

Everything?

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A guest said: (hide)

Fri Mar 10, 2006 12:42 pm

You're right, some people misunderstood Multi-Pass as a subscription service. But that doesn't mean there might not be an Apple Movie Store subscription service coming in the near future. Even though Steve Jobs seems set against the model, what would be wrong with a Netflix-like service offered thru iTunes? They have the necessary DRM in place on both PC's and Mac's. I wrote up more on this here:

http://scottsviewport.blogspot.com/2006/03/prediction-movie-download-not-movie.html

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