Filed under rampant speculation is an article found on Tom’s Hardware Guide, which says that the buy-by-the-song model used by iTunes is on its way out:

According to Strategy Analytics, subscription services will replace downloads as the dominant music online model and cause the success of iTunes to be short lived. The shift towards subscription music services will be driven by a combination of changing consumer expectations as well as pressure from broadband service providers and record companies.

Watch my blog for my response to this issue.