Both the download-and-own and subscription service models have significant shortcomings that detract from the customer experience. If you download music to a computer, you need cables and software to get the music to your smartphone,
and you will be limited as to how many devices you can use. You may download using different devices and then face a problem coordinating them. Subscription services have confusing pricing schemes, typically cost $15 a month or more, and require you to have Internet access. Many services don’t allow you to store songs locally on a device for off-the-Net play, while others allow local storage of music that will not be playable if you miss the monthly payment. Many of the inconveniences of these existing business models were created by record companies who feared, legitimately, that their music would be ripped off and their revenue decimated.