Through the digital music player iPod released by Apple in 2001 and the iTunes Music Store, a digital music service launched in 2003, users can purchase digital music data at a low price. These were innovative products and services that changed the nature of the music industry, but an article was found that shows how Microsoft founder Bill Gates reacted to the launch of the iTunes Music Store, attracting attention.
This content is a different email from Bill Gates to a Microsoft executive on April 30, 2003 by the Twitter account (@TechEmails), which tweets the contents of an email sent by a tech executive. Gates said in an email that Steve Jobs had the talent to focus on a few important things, get people who understand the user interface well, and sell innovative things. He said that he succeeded in launching an iTunes music store by connecting, which is also very good for us (Microsoft). Because the existing services provided by music companies are inconvenient for users, and the music industry is very happy that the music industry has given Apple the opportunity to launch a new service, he evaluated Jobs’ talent and explained the launch of the iTunes Music Store as a pleasure to Microsoft. .
We’ve been discussing digital music so far, but we’ve always said that the service you buy is superior to the subscription model, because the subscription model doesn’t tell you what kind of music you have, and the subscription model is the music you really want. I’m not saying that the subscription model necessarily fails, but if Microsoft starts a music sales service that takes the subscription model and fails, all services will fail after other services (Real, PressPlay, MusicNet). He said it would end, stating his view that the risk of failure is high with the subscription model used by many services today.
Also, since Jobs started the iTunes Music Store, Microsoft wrote that the UI and license agreement needed to start the service as quickly as the iTunes Music Store, and emphasized that the service that would compete with the iTunes Music Store should start soon. Related information can be found here.