http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/...nd_figures.pdf
2010: 8.2 million paying subscribers
2011: 13.4 million paying subscribers (growth of 63%)
2012: ?
2013: ?
2014: ?
2015: ?
2016: ?
The two biggest are Spotify (5M paying subscribers) and Deezer (3M paying subscribers). Melon (2M) Mnet (1M) Rhapsody (1M) and Muve Music (1M paying subscribers) are the other major players.
In order to overtake Itunes, subscription services need around 30 million paying subscribers. About the same # as Netflix. Sirius XM satellite radio has around 20M.
Could something like this work for ebook? Here's someone who work in publishing take on it:
http://www.futurebook.net/content/su...l-ebook-retail
Is subscription the future model for eBook retail?
Quote:
Retailers agree to pay publishers a ‘lending rate’ per view, different to standard discount terms.
As Amazon is doing, allocate a proportion of the overall subscription revenue and apportion it on the basis of the selling price of the products and the amount of times they get loaned. Restrict the number of concurrent loans any user can have based on the subscription rate paid so that the people borrowing more books contribute more to the pot of revenue.
Reciprocal contra (seriously) - publishers can pay to invest in featuring titles (as normal) but retailers can also pay a higher rate of return on those titles – fortune favouring those publishers brave enough to invest in promotion. Publishers supporting retailers and vice versa.
And the benefits?
Less risk for the consumer choosing to test out a new author or genre (rather than buying what they know as is the current trend)
A steady increasable and renewable revenue stream from committed readers for publishers and retailers
Limitless pre-orders
Growth of WOM in ebook marketing
Opportunities for resourceful publishers to increase readerships and revenue by garnering audience and not necessarily forcing a sale
A more level playing field for retailers
The list goes on. Of course there are negatives and this is by no means straightforward. The model needs to demonstrate that income isn’t cannibalised. But potentially for the book reader, the retailer, and the publisher, the rewards do exist and movies (and libraries) could be showing us the way… As a committed book reader, I'd subscribe. Would you?
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The other view:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-s...b_1684324.html
Mike Shatzkin on Why eBook Subscriptions Would Never Work