Microsoft and MTV to Launch Music Service

An anonymous reader writes "According to ZDNet Microsoft and MTV have joined forces to form Urge, a new online music service. From the article: 'The company said Urge would include a subscription component, as well as allowing individual song sales. A spokesman declined to discuss pricing, saying full details would be announced next month. The company gave no specifics on launch date beyond saying it would be sometime in 2006.'"

Pricing

[Nightspirit]

If they charge $0.25 per song, or even approach allofmp3.com (although I doubt they'll go that low) I might actually start purchasing music online. Or allow my choice of format.

If this service allows different formats (including lossless), is compatible with multiple players, has minimum DRM, and enters a pricewar with itunes it would be a good thing.

I even might consider paying $1 a song if they sell FLAC or another lossless format.

The subscription component is cool.

[Empty Yo]

I have a subscription with Audible and each month I can download two audio books for approx. 21 USD. In one month, I got two books that would have cost me over 60 USD on iTunes to get. If MS and MTV keep up that idea with subscription pricing, i.e. cheaper than if you bought the products a la carte, then it might actually be a good idea.

Of course, that would just leave them the difficult task of coming up with something I want to order in the first place. More top 40 stuff like there is today and no amount of money will entice me to the service.

Re:No worries...

[Shihar]

Too bad it isn't just MTV that sucks. Have you tried watching the Discovery Channel? When in the hell did science become purely about building fucking motorcycle. I swear that they play absolutely nothing except motorcycle building reality TV shows and the occasional MythBusters. It makes me fucking hate TV. I can't wait until the day that everything is on demand. I figure once everything is on demand one of two things will happen:

1) The good shows will get their moment in the sun and execs won't be able to kill them. It will be clear that people like good programing, not the latest reality TV crap fest. I am happy as good shows become easy to find and I never half to even flip past a shitty show again.

2) All the good shows get killed because most people are dim witted idiots that love the latest shit flung at us by execs. I never ever watch a shitty show again because I give up TV. As a positive side effect, I will also never worry about low voter turn out in the US as it is clear the shit flinging idiots probably shouldn't be mucking up the system with their inane opinion as to who should be the leader.

Re:No worries...

[grub]

When in the hell did science become purely about building fucking motorcycle.

I cancelled my cable because of this, there's a journal entry about it somewhere. If you want science shows you're pretty much stuck with NOVA. Commercial TV panders to the lowest common denominator.