Napster started the music revolution 10 years ago with its file-sharing network. Today’s announcement on the roll-out of a $5 subscription for 5 downloads and unlimited streaming might not sound as epic.

But the fact of the matter is that it officially sanctions the shift from Downloads to Streaming.  From Ownership to Access.

We are not yet into the full-fledged Access Era as depicted by Caraeff and Masnick with interactive listening and your library in the cloud.

And this is yet a model from the past – the subscription- which has hardly won the music fans. But it is a step into the new era where listening comes first and then there is Upselling of additional and targeted value added services.

Spotify is leading the way – at least on paper, even though the balance sheet might not look too nice, as of yet.