paying for mobile music content? really?
AT&T has two new musical offerings and one in the works:
1 - Make UR-Tones allows customers to customize ringtones from their favorite part of a song (1-30 seconds), right on their handsets. The mSpot Make-UR-Tones is available for a monthly subscription of $6.99 for three ringtones, with additional customized ringtones available for purchase on an a la carte basis for $2.99.
2 - Remix gives customers access to their PC-based music collections directly from their phones. For $9.99 per month you get a monthly subscription that allows 75 song downloads. Remix is compatible with the Samsung SYNC, A737 and the LG SHINE phones.
3 - Napster (coming next month) wireless, over-the-air downloads at $7.49 per five songs, or $1.99 for a single track-download
(thanks to Into Mobile for the details on theses services)
These offerings confuse me. Are we realy going to pay an additional 7-10 bucks/month for music on our phone? When we also have to pay 15 bucks for unlimited data? And when, in the case of Remix, we also have to pay to get the music to our PC in the first place? Or, in the case of Napster, that I will pay MORE money to get music on my phone than I will to get in on my iPod? REALLY?
Why is it so hard for the powers that be to understand that consumers don't want to pay every time we shift our music from one device to another or change a file format from one kind to another?
My bet is that these new AT&T services will fail. Not because they doesn't add value -- but because the pricing model is wrong, wrong, wrong.
Don't misunderstand -- I think people will continue to listen to music on their phones. Ringtones are fun! I've got Lupe Fiasco, Timbaland, and A Beautiful Mine bumping from my phones. But I think that services priced like this make consumers (people like me!) feel like we're getting nickel and dimed to death.
If anything, it seems like carriers should be using music as a loss leader to build a relationship with a customer and/or a tool to get people to a moment where they can then sell a higher ticket item.
Anyone else want to disagree and tell me that you are excited about the chance to spend 7 to 10 bucks a month for something like this?
::cricket:: ::cricket::
(I'm not expecting many responses on this one...)
1 - Make UR-Tones allows customers to customize ringtones from their favorite part of a song (1-30 seconds), right on their handsets. The mSpot Make-UR-Tones is available for a monthly subscription of $6.99 for three ringtones, with additional customized ringtones available for purchase on an a la carte basis for $2.99.
2 - Remix gives customers access to their PC-based music collections directly from their phones. For $9.99 per month you get a monthly subscription that allows 75 song downloads. Remix is compatible with the Samsung SYNC, A737 and the LG SHINE phones.
3 - Napster (coming next month) wireless, over-the-air downloads at $7.49 per five songs, or $1.99 for a single track-download
(thanks to Into Mobile for the details on theses services)
These offerings confuse me. Are we realy going to pay an additional 7-10 bucks/month for music on our phone? When we also have to pay 15 bucks for unlimited data? And when, in the case of Remix, we also have to pay to get the music to our PC in the first place? Or, in the case of Napster, that I will pay MORE money to get music on my phone than I will to get in on my iPod? REALLY?
Why is it so hard for the powers that be to understand that consumers don't want to pay every time we shift our music from one device to another or change a file format from one kind to another?
My bet is that these new AT&T services will fail. Not because they doesn't add value -- but because the pricing model is wrong, wrong, wrong.
Don't misunderstand -- I think people will continue to listen to music on their phones. Ringtones are fun! I've got Lupe Fiasco, Timbaland, and A Beautiful Mine bumping from my phones. But I think that services priced like this make consumers (people like me!) feel like we're getting nickel and dimed to death.
If anything, it seems like carriers should be using music as a loss leader to build a relationship with a customer and/or a tool to get people to a moment where they can then sell a higher ticket item.
Anyone else want to disagree and tell me that you are excited about the chance to spend 7 to 10 bucks a month for something like this?
::cricket:: ::cricket::
(I'm not expecting many responses on this one...)
posted by crgt at
7:20 AM
1 Comments:
I tend to agree with you- however, I think music licensing laws dictate there has to be some charge for songs used as ringtones.
My bet is that iTunes and similar sites will offer free ringtones from songs you purchase.
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