Failure of the Music Industry

Got my email from Pandora last night. User's will be capped at 40 hrs. of free listening per month. The email states that while this will not affect the market share of Pandora listeners, that (based upon my listening levels) I would probably be affected. I listen to Pandora quite a bit (more than 1.3 hours per day). And so, I will have to pay. Options include annual subscription at $36 a year, or paying a monthly fee once 40 hrs. is reached.

Part of me understands where the music industry is coming from. The landscape has changed, no one is buying albums anymore, and they are trying to hold on to whatever revenue outlets they can legally grab. But as a consumer, I disagree with this. I would urge the record industry and copyright holders to think more creatively. Give people a product that goes beyond what they can listen to for free or can buy from itunes. What's going to keep us from just buying the songs we like, rather than having to purchase the full album? There needs to be an incentive there. And what about the dozens of songs I have bought on Itunes after learning about the artist through Pandora? Are those royalty dollars not getting back to you?

Forcing me to pay to listen to a single online music station is not going to work for me. Once I exceed my 40 hours, I'll find some place else to listen.