Steve Jobs will soon launch an iTunes music subscription service, targeted at the Apple TV, regardless of whatever he says publicly.

If the copyright wars of the internet age have taught us anything it's that you don't own music - even if you've paid for a disc or download. Music is not a tangible thing you "own", all you've done is purchase the right to listen to it.

"Owning" music might mean you have a copy at your disposal, but the downside is if something happens to that copy you're left with nothing. People who "own" music are only a scratched disc or hard drive failure away from the sound of silence.

Think of a music subscription service as hosting your music on a secure server. You have access on demand to more music than you could ever possibly own (yes, even you Matthew Powell) for a fixed rate every month. If you can listen to Rubber Soul whenever you want to - does it really matter whether you "own" it or not? Subscription services such Real's Rhapsody let you store subscription music on your hard drive, rather than constantly streaming it, and even let you copy tracks to portable devices.

To really see the power of subscription music model, look at the Sonos Digital Music System. The Sonos gear would have to be some of the most awesome pieces of home entertainment technology I've ever played with - and part of that is thanks to its use of Real's Rhapsody music subscription service.

The Sonos Digital Music System is a wireless multi-zone audio system that can stream music from your computer, network storage or the internet to up to 32 ZonePlayers spread throughout your house. It also features an amazing wireless controller, complete with a 3.5 inch colour display and iPod-like touch scroll wheel.

Rhapsody offers unlimited access to thousands of albums for less than $US15 a month, including new releases. Combine a Sonos system with Rhapsody and a decent broadband plan and suddenly "buying" music - even online - seems pointless. Even stealing music is more hassle than using Rhapsody - I could search for a track and start listening in well under a minute, faster than I could find and download it on a P2P network. Sure there are hardcore pirates who will never pay for anything, but this kind of business model - for both audio and video - is the industry's last best hope of bringing lounge room pirates back into the fold.

Jobs implies he's not considering a music subscription service for iTunes, but don't believe a word of it. The Apple TV is the perfect platform for offering a Sonos-like subscription music experience and Jobs would be crazy not to take advantage of it. It would tie in nicely with the iPhone as well. The hardware is in place, the bandwidth is in place, the music labels want it - Jobs is just playing hard to get. The time for an iTunes music subscription service has come.{moscomment}