Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

They kept this quiet!

http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/p...8879&highlight=

Virgin Media and Universal Music today unveiled plans for a ground-breaking digital music service designed to bring about a rapid and permanent change in the way UK consumers buy and listen to music.

The service -- a world first -- will enable any Virgin Media broadband customer to both stream and download as many music tracks and albums as they want from Universal Music's entire catalog, in return for a great-value monthly subscription fee. Downloaded music will be theirs to keep permanently and to store on any MP3 compatible device. An "entry level" offer will also be available for customers who download music regularly, but may not want an unlimited service.

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

If its only an extra £5 per month i can see it going well. anymore than that in the current climate i think people will stick to the free/illegal stuff.

I'm sure VM Bum-Buddy the BPI will be happy! But i'm 99% all this music will count towards your daily STM

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

"This will involve implementing a range of different strategies to educate file sharers about online piracy and to raise awareness of legal alternatives. They include, as a last resort for persistent offenders, a temporary suspension of internet access. No customers will be permanently disconnected and the process will not depend on network monitoring or interception of customer traffic by Virgin Media. "

Sound very intresting!

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

Which the illegal stuff does anyway - so what is the difference?

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

This begs more questions than it answers...

Will it count towards STM?
Will the music be wrapped in DRM to prevent me transferring it to my MP3 player, Minidisc Player (yes, actually have one, and prefer it to my MP3 player for sound quality).
Will the music be wrapped in DRM to cause it to "expire" like some services do?
etc.
etc.

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

Probably

Read the press release - specifically this bit:

Downloaded music will be theirs to keep permanently and to store on any MP3 compatible device.

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

To be pedantic, I can store anything on my MP3 compatible device - doesn't necessarily mean I can play it :D

Ducks down and walks off...

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

I wonder if they will watermark it in some way, so if it finds its way onto any of the file-sharing networks they can tell who put it there.

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

Probably, but then I bet the ones you download from places like Amazon and 7Digital also have that in

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

If it hosted internal then it shouldn't, Like V-stuff its internal so should not count towards your limit but it does!

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

What from people seem to be saying V Stuff isn't hosted internally - but don't quote me on that

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

From the VM Newsgroups

"VStuff is hard coded to only use a small portion of your return path
bandwidth. This to avoid users being traffic managed for using the service."

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

That is during STM hours - outside of it it uses the full bandwidth

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

Surely you would need to download a stupid amount of MP3's per day for it to have any real impact on your STM limits.

Re: Virgin Media to Launch World's First Unlimited Music Download Service
 

Why pay a subscription fee, when you can listen to the universal catalogue and more with Spotify for free? :/