Music like Total

Total Music was a digital music distribution service created by Universal Music Group and Sony BMG. It was started in 2007 and closed down in 2009. The venture never actually resulted in any products or services used by consumers.

Total Music was initially conceived as a subscription service which would offer downloads of DRM-laden audio files to consumers. The subscription was to be incorporated into the price of digital audio playback devices; consumers would buy the device and get a "free" subscription, enabling access, for a limited time, to the participating record labels' catalogs. This plan was scrapped when an anti-trust inquiry by the United States Department of Justice in early 2008 expressed concern that the major record companies were colluding to provide an unfair advantage to Total Music.