Editorials: It’s Time to Drop [The Price] of Zune Pass

I remember when Microsoft launched it’s “Keep 10” initiative to try to bring new life into the subscription service offering Zune Music Pass subscribers the opportunity to keep ten free tracks for the same $14.99 a month. It was steal when Microsoft launched it, unlimited music for $14.99 with the ability to download tracks for later and keep them on your device was about as great as we could have hoped for. Then a few things happened. First Microsoft sat on Zune Music Pass, making no changes to the service and completely ditching any relevant marketing efforts that might have helped the service catch on. Then everyone and their uncle decided that they had an idea to save the music industry including rival services from Rdio, Spotify, to go along with older services like Napster, and Rhapsody. What was the result? Zune’s Music Pass is no longer makes sense and is thus not a competitive alternative for most listeners. Continue reading.