Music Downloads: Are Subscriptions Better?

Today, in an effort to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, Napster unveiled "Napster To Go." This new service model for Napster allows customers to download an unlimited ammount of music each month for a fee of $14.95 per month. This made me start thinking, "Should Apple offer an iTunes subscription plan?" I believe this is not a move Apple is likely to make. Napster is making such a move to try and draw users from iTunes, the most popular online music store, and switch to their store which uses different DRM and is compatable with different players. I believe that most users of the iTunes Music Store are "customers for life," much like myself. Ever since the store opened for business, I would not even consider switching to another format or store, partially because of the store's compatability with the world's number 1 MP3 player, the Apple iPod. The only other music store I have considered buying from would be Bleep, a rather innovative music store featuring artists from Warp Records (Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher). Bleep's downloads are also not weighted down by any sort of DRM restrictions, so play, burn, and share as much as you like! In conclusion, in order for Apple to have a profitable experience by offering an iTunes subscription service, I believe the monthly fee would have to be much higher than Napster's montly price. In the end, most users would switch to the subscription service only and Apple would begin to lose money on iTunes. Ramble ramble ramble...