MICROSOFT MUSIC SUBS PLAN IN TATTERS

Bill Gates could, of course, just buy all the labels and this wouldn't be a problem any more, but for now he's been frustrated in his attempts to ape Yahoo and Napster's music subscription services - the labels, of course, want more money; Microsoft aren't prepared to charge consumers more than their rivals, and aren't going to subsidise the record labels.

The end result: No Microsoft subscription service.

We don't have any fondness for Microsoft, but it seems a little harsh to refuse to supply them on the same terms as the other services. It doesn't seem to make any business sense - all it does is cost the labels money. Won't somebody think of the shareholders?

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