Napster’s free Mp3 players…
In the US now, it seems Napster is giving out free MP3 players to anyone subscribing for a full year. Basically for a $120 sub, you get a $130 Rio Chiba.
I’m a big fan of subs: and I’m convinced this is the way things are heading. My dream service is a fixed amount each month to be able to listen to anything I want. Napster has the business model right for this, but, unfortunately, not the catalogue - well not yet, at least.
It’s the reverse of the way that the phone market developed: that started with subsidised handsets for subscribers and moved on to pay as you go. Music has started as pay as you go…but now it’s making inroads into subsidised handsets and subscription. But all this talk of business models is starting to feel like work, so I’ll shut up.