But I think Sony is missing a trick
here. They offer two subscription packages: $3.99/month for listening
to pre-determined channels (radio-style?) and $9.99 for access to
Sony’s music library consisting of 15 million songs. Spotify’s
catalogue has long surpassed 15 million, but more importantly, there
is no clear incentive for any one customer group to switch to Music
Unlimited.
As I have argued before, Spotify’s
finest trick was to get people hooked in the first place by offering
free music access. Consumers do not appreciate the value of
technological innovation until they’ve tried it themselves. There
are high barriers to adoption in place, and only a truly motivating
and appealing incentive will push people to give new technology a go
– and therefore fully experience the benefits that innovation
offers.
Sony is not offering any such
incentive. There is no free service to get customers to buy in, so
Music Unlimited will struggle to convert iTunes/CD people to
streaming. And for those of us who are with Spotify – well, there
are no clear benefits to switching. And switching is a pain in
itself.
One thing’s for sure: the Battle of
Streaming has only just begun.
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| Sony's Music Unlimited |
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