Yahoo to double pricing of music service

Starting November 1st, Yahoo will double the price of its online music subscription service, ending the promotion that the company hoped would encourage consumers to use Yahoo's service instead of Apple's iTunes music store. Yahoo will charge approximately $120 per year for access to over one million songs which can be transferred to portable music players, up from $60 per year during the promotional period, according to a report from the Associated Press. While Yahoo offers song "rentals", these songs are incompatible with Apple's wildly popular iPod digital music player. Additionally, many consumers have expressed a desire to own the music that they buy, something that the iTunes music store accommodates. Yahoo's service, on the other hand, renders songs unplayable if subscriptions aren't continuously paid. The new pricing is still just below that of Napster and RealNetworks, which both charge just under $15 per month.

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: digital music/video