Music from the Sky

Sky - the broadband services part of the tentacle-heavy business - has finally issued a press release explaining about its new stream-download cocktail music service which combines the direct-purchase of iTunes with the streaming of Spotify in one only slightly confusing package:

Sky Songs offers users unlimited streaming, plus download-to-own tracks and albums from £6.49 a month. Customers can also purchase additional music on a per-track or per-album basis from 65p and £6.49 respectively.

There are two subscription options available:

* pay £6.49 and download either a £6.49 album or 10 songs, and receive unlimited access to listen to over four million songs online for one month; or
* pay £7.99 and download either a £7.99 album or 15 songs, and receive unlimited access to listen to over four million songs online for one month.

It's not clear if you're on the £7.99 deal and download an album which costs £7.99 but only has 12 songs on it, if you can then download another three songs or if that's it, or if you could download the 12 songs individually and then still download another three. Or who would pay an extra one fifty a month on the off-chance that they might want to buy a slightly more expensive album every month. Or... well, it's all pretty confusing.

The download seems to be there to sweeten the deal and answer the "wouldn't I just listen to Spotify for free" question - right now, targeting what seems to be a very small sector of the market who are looking to subscribe rather than just ride out the adverts. It's an interesting idea, but doesn't seem to outstrip Spotify's premium offering.