You might want to sit down for this one: Apple is reportedly putting together a subscription music service that would provide unlimited songs for a flat monthly rate.
Crazy, right? After years of rumors claiming that Apple is putting iTunes in the cloud, I would never have guessed that we'd see another rumor claiming that Apple is putting iTunes in the cloud.
The latest version of the story comes from the New York Post, this time with some specifics: The service could cost between $10 and $15 per month, with multiple tiers depending on how much music you get and how long it's available. The announcement of Spotify for Windows Phone 7 reportedly rekindled the romance between Apple and record labels, who desperately want a boost from digital music sales.
I don't doubt for a second that Apple is entertaining the idea of subscription iTunes. When the same rumor pops up over, and over, and over, I start to believe that eventually, it'll come true. Same goes for those persistent Verizon iPhone rumors. You know it's just a matter of time.
And time is where these rumors start to get iffy. The Post report doesn't say that iTunes' journey to the cloud is imminent. It doesn't give any time frame at all. So while you can safely assume that Apple and record labels are talking about subscription plans -- and they should be; TV studios have reportedly held similar discussions for video -- I wouldn't get too excited.
Actually, without evidence that Apple's subscription music plan is better than existing services like MOG, Rdio and Rhapsody, I wouldn't get excited at all.
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