While analysts were predicting for Steve Jobs and Apple to embrace subscription services in the near future, Jobs announced on Wednesday that not only will Apple NOT being offering such a service, but that there is no proof that customers are even interested in idea.
Over the next month, Apple will be renewing contracts with the four largest record companies in the industry and Jobs is convinced that he will get all of them to agree to selling music without any copy protection software. Apple has already made a deal with the third largest record company, EMI Group Plc, who has agreed to offer music under those terms.
“We’ve said by the end of this year, over half of the songs we offer on iTunes we believe will be in DRM (Digital Rights Management) free versions. I think we’re going to achieve that,” said Jobs.
Record labels were trying to push Apple to agree to music rentals, in order to make more money from recurring income, but Jobs has also shot those hopes down, saying that customers want to own their own music.
