Buyers of Toshiba Satellite and Qosmio laptops will find a 30-day trial of Napster To Go bundled onto their machines, in a bid by the online music service to continue to grow its user base. I've always thought that Napster, Rhapsody, and other paid subscription services make sense for a some people -- especially that small segment who don't want or have an iPod -- but that somehow, those people rarely are exposed to them.
This bundling should put the Napster icon in front of some more eyeballs. Users who don't automatically ignore the trial software that comes with Windows will double-click, and some of them could like what they hear.
Since all DRM equals a rental of sorts (you own it until you buy a non-compatible piece of equipment), you'd think subscriptions would have caught on with music fans who don't have iPods or the time or inclination to track down songs online or rip CDs. (If you owned a restaurant or coffeeshop, for instance, using Napster or Rhapsody could be a good idea -- so long as you pay fees to BMI/ASCAP/SESAC, of course.)
Toshiba and Napster's move, while a mere bundling, could be seen as a small indication that the subscription model might still have legs. If the current webcaster royalty rates stand, subscription services could gather momentum. Only they would still be able to offer streams comparable to what currently free webcasters offer today.
