Would You Pay $10 for Apple's iTunes -- Per Month?

NPD has released survey results that point to a huge interest in an iTunes subscription service, which, in 2010 language, would be called a "cloud service." NPD believes there is a market of about 8 million possible subscribers in the U.S. alone. Those subscribers indicated they would be willing to pay at least $10 per month, which would translate into the next billion-dollar opportunity for Apple.

An iTunes subscription model has been rumored to be in the works for at least three years. We have heard everything from a free 1-year subscription that would be included with every new iPod and iPhone to rather expensive services that would cost up to $30 per month. $10 sounds reasonable for an all-you-can-eat plan, but we are talking about an extra $120 per year on top of a possibly already expensive iPhone service contract, and we doubt that Apple would include free downloads for that price. In the end, it all comes down to one question: How much are you willing to pay?