EMI and Warner have both signed up to a new all-you-can-eat download service which seemingly offers punters unlimited MP3 downloads for a year for £99.99. As the downloads are provided as DRM-free MP3s they can be transferred to any device, and can be kept after the subscription expires.
The new service is called the Datz Music Lounge, and is run by UK-based Datz.com. Although an online service, the Datz Music Lounge experience seemingly begins with a physical kit including a CD containing some bespoke software required to use the service, and a USB dongle that needs to be attached to your computer to be able to download. Or something like that. The kits are available via mail order but will also be sold on the high street via various retailers, including Sainsbury's.
As well as EMI and Warner, the Beggars Group and indie aggregators The Orchard are also on board, providing a pretty substantial catalogue of content for Datz downloaders to choose from. The exact deal between Datz and the record companies is not known, nor is it clear if there is any catch that stops the downloads being truly "unlimited" and/or "permanent", though the fact the tracks are provided in MP3 suggests not. Whether that means Datz has to take a hit if every single customer downloads a million tracks each we're not sure.
Commenting on his service, which formerly launched in London earlier this month, Datz MD Michael Richardson told CMU: "We wanted to find a safe and legal way for users to download music to keep. With literally thousands of artists and millions of tracks all in unlocked MP3 format, the Datz Music Lounge provides safe, carefree downloading for all music enthusiasts. Datz Music Lounge gives people a way to bolster their back catalogue, try new music and rediscover artists they love. All the music is theirs to keep forever and they can download anything they like for one year after they join Datz Music Lounge. Not only does Datz Music Lounge fundamentally change the way people can enjoy music, it also provides one of the greatest offers of all time".
Meanwhile, Matthew Crosswaite, SVP Sales & Commercial Development at EMI Music UK told us: "The Datz Music Lounge offering is a new and innovative way for consumers to gift digital music via high street retailers - just in time for the peak season. The product is subscription based and will be a valuable and insightful tool for understanding how consumers explore and react to EMI's deep and rich back catalogue".
The service is not currently Mac compatible, but Datz hope to provide a Mac version of their offer by early December.