Virgin Radio invites majors to join its subscription service

07:07 | Monday August 4, 2008

The first details have emerged of the proposed service, which comes as part of plans by Virgin’s new owner TIML Golden Square to invest in interests in the business beyond the core on-air station.

Dickens, the station’s chief operating officer, says discussions are under way with all the majors about the service, which he reveals will be closer to the Universal/Sky subscription-plus download model, rather than the usual fixed-price, all-you-can-eat DRM subscription.

“Our model is about looking at the technology available and working out the balance between DRM and DRM-free. What we’re suggesting is the monthly subscription can vary. If you’re going to pay £5 a month you would get a certain amount of subscription and, say, five tracks to keep a month and if you pay £10 you’d get a certain amount of subscription and 10 tracks to keep each month,” says Dickens, whose station will change its name from Virgin Radio in the autumn following the ending of a branding rights deal with the Virgin Group.

For more, see this week’s issue of Music Week, out today.