MOG to launch all-you-can-download music subscription service for iPhone, Android

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MOG on Monday said it will launch an all-you-can-download music subscription service later this spring for smart phones, including the iPhone and Android devices.

Though music subscription services such as RealNetwork’s Rhapsody have been around for years, listeners have been reticent to pony up the $10 or so in monthly fees for music that required an Internet connection. And in the early days, many consumers also complained about not being able to easily take their music with them.

‘Music has to be portable,’ said David Hyman, MOG’s chief executive, who said a music service without a mobile option is like ‘being told you can’t take a book out of your house to read it.’

The latest generation of music services has tried to address many of these issues. MOG, for example, plans to let subscribers download to their smart phones as many songs as they want from the company’s catalog of 7 million songs so they can access their music even without a Web connection.

The company launched its MOG All Access subscription service in December. Hyman said that 17% of those who signed up for the three-day free trial ended up subscribing to the $5 a month Web-based service.

MOG’s upcoming service, which costs $10 a month, would also let users listen to music on their smart phones, either by streaming the songs or by downloading tunes to their device to listen to later.

The Berkeley-based music company is among a handful of services trying to preempt the imminent U.S. arrival of Spotify, a popular music service available in Europe. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek‘s Tuesday keynote at South by Southwest is among the more anticipated events at the Austin, Texas, music show.

One potential stumbling block for both MOG and Spotify: Apple. The company, which makes the iPhone and controls which apps are allowed on its iTunes store, could very well nix MOG’s iPhone app if the Cupertino, Calif., company felt it conflicted with its iTunes business.

-- Alex Pham

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter @AlexPham.

Screen shot: MOG’s upcoming iPhone application. Credit: MOG.