Toss one more chunk of charcoal on the Microsoft
The software giant is hoping to reignite interest in its Zune Pass by improving the music subscription program's value proposition for Zune users. The monthly price of the "all-you-can-stream" service will remain $14.99, but now subscribers will be able to download 10 MP3s every month and keep them, at no additional charge.
For active buyers of MP3s, that adds up to a value of $9 to $10. Oh, if only there were more Zune players out in the wild.
Microsoft's portable media player is still a niche device. Despite the allure of its Wi-Fi functionality and backed by Microsoft's colossal brand and marketing budget, it hasn't made a dent in the market since its debut two years ago.
Q1 2008 |
Market Share |
---|---|
iPod |
71% |
SanDisk |
11% |
Zune |
4% |
Creative |
2% |
Source: NPD Group.
With Apple's
Zune Pass was supposed to be Microsoft's response to Apple's iTunes ecosystem, but it just remains too small.
That doesn't mean the Zune Pass shift will go unnoticed. Open-ended music subscription providers RealNetworks
Making the Zune Pass more attractive also makes the Zune more attractive, by default. It won't be enough to get the player back into GameStop
Other Zune-rific leads: