Samsung Is Now Into Streaming. Will Apple Follow?

For the longest time, I couldn't get my head around this notion of "renting" music through a subscription to a streaming sergice.  I'd much rather have something physical, something I can hold in my hand.

I still feel that way--I'll uy CDs and vinyl until I can't--but the more I think about things and the more I use streaming services, the more I'm absolutely convinced that this kind of access to music will soon trump possession of it.

There's already a dizzying array of services out there (some of which still aren't available in Canada) with more on the way.  Samsung is the latest.  From Audio4Cast:

Device manufacturers are buying up streaming services, creating an interesting angle in the formula for success in the online audio marketplace. In March HTC boughtMOG, now Samsung has picked up mSpot and relaunched it as Music Hub, a music store, locker and streaming service for their Galaxy phone. The service launched in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the UK, and is not yet available in the US.

The service will be offered in both free and premium versions to owners of the new Galaxy S3. By the looks of it, it will try to get users to replace iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services with a one stop “hub” that offers 19 million songs in its catalog. Users can preview, purchase and download songs, store them in their locker, and play them back from their device or other devices or PCs. They can also stream personalized radio channels, get recommendations, build playlists and listen on-demand if they pay the subscription price of 9.99 euros or pounds.

Read more here.