When Jobs speaks about music, rest assured, his crowd is awaiting and listening with open ears. Recently, the Apple CEO said that the iTunes Music Store is “unlikely” to get a subscription-based service. From an interview with Reuters:
Never say never, but customers don’t seem to be interested in it,” Jobs told Reuters. “The subscription model has failed so far.” Jobs reaffirmed that “people want to own their music.”
I think what Steve Jobs says applies to the majority of people who listen to music. We want to own the songs and albums we listen to. Renting is good for when you’re looking to try something new out, like a car or even music. Just give people the option to purchase the tracks they rent via iTMS and I think Apple will have an even stronger storefront to back them up.
Jobs also went on to talk about how the other major labels “might” drop DRM soon. But don’t hold your breath because it could take quite a bit of time for that to happen.
Apple CEO: iTunes subscriptions unlikely, labels considering DRM-free tracks [iLounge]