The deal, announced last Tuesday, will see Sky and Universal throw their considerable weight behind the new, as-yet-unnamed service, which will offer consumers in the UK and Ireland unlimited access to streamed music from the Universal catalogue, as well as a fixed number of DRM-free MP3 downloads depending on the level of subscription.

Universal Music Group International senior vice president of digital Rob Wells is unequivocal n believing his company has an enduring model.

He states, "Universal believes that subscription ...