DISQUS

You are right Nic, the winning model will have ads in the music stream because this is the only way to monetize the time spent listening to the music. This is true for ad-supported downloaded music as well.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Advertising supported music is the wave of the future. I commend Spiralfrog for being the pioneer, but their service is not what consumers want.

For full coverage of the emerging media of ad-supported music check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog at http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

This move is being presented in the press as a union to compete against iTunes. Why would anyone want to do that? iTunes sells a relatively small amount of music - especially compared to the installed base of iPods. A $20/month service from Rhapsody America, as Fred suggests, would make them a niche player since the core music listening audience - young, cash strapped people - couldn't afford this and if they could, wouldn't pay for it.

At this point in the new world of music, the only way to make a dent is to make music cheaper, or free. Real ad-supported downloaded music (not Spiralfrog or even WE7 style ad-supported music) can do this. The option of ad-supported music lowers the total cost of music consumption since some portion of a person's library can be paid and some ad-supported.

Ad-support built TV, radio and the Internet, why wouldn't it work for downloaded music?

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:
http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

In his famous article "Marketing Myopia" Professor Ted Leavitt described the buggy whip industry and observed that no amount of product improvement could prevent the evaporation of the industry.

The record industry is on its way to becoming a new buggy whip industry. Eliminating DRM is the kind of ineffective product improvement Leavitt described.

The industry needs to reinvent itself is a free, ad-supported medium.

Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog:http://ad-supported-music.blogspot.com/

Excellent idea although I wonder if people would enjoy listening to a full playlist of these tracks.