I can't agree with that. Subscription is a totally different way of paying for music, and comparing them doesn't really mean much. Subscription means you can access any track instantly- yes, you'll lose that if you unsubscribe, but you can easily sign up for a competing service and get all that music back. It doesn't really make sense to compare it to 'ownership'.
Though as an interesting PS, the Zune Pass offers (offered?) 10 free permanent downloads every month. So, at 99c a track, you'd more or less make your subscription fee back.
Yeah, you still get 10 DRM-free downloads per month. If that's still not something you're comfortable with, I have heard of other ways to... "fix" the Zune DRM.
In the UK at least, the 10 DRM-free downloads no longer apply for new Zune Pass subscribers. Those who already had that type of subscription will keep it, from what I understand, but it's no longer an option for new people.
Switching from one service to another is non-trivial if you've accumulated playlists or favorites. You basically have to either write it all down and re-do it by hand, or start over out of principle.
The subscription model is the modern equivalent of the Columbia Music House. They'll send you music relentlessly even when you don't want it, only in this case if you cancel it all goes away and you've got nothing to show for it.
You'd have to be diligent to use those ten free downloads a month. You can't bank them, can you?
> The subscription model is the modern equivalent of the Columbia Music House.
This is a ridiculous comparison. Do you pay for Netflix? Hulu Plus? Cable? Internet access? These are all subscription services.
Does it cost you infinite money to read Hacker News? Or to watch "Frasier" on cable or Netflix? Of course not. Zune Pass doesn't cost infinite money, either.
Columbia House was (is?) very nearly the opposite of a subscription. You paid for a crappy CD every month. You owned it. You didn't get inclusive access to a catalog.
"Subscription means you can access any track instantly- yes, you'll lose that if you unsubscribe, but you can easily sign up for a competing service and get all that music back. It doesn't really make sense to compare it to 'ownership'."
Name 3 music subscription services that have 90+% overlap in their catalogs.
Though as an interesting PS, the Zune Pass offers (offered?) 10 free permanent downloads every month. So, at 99c a track, you'd more or less make your subscription fee back.