

In this space a week ago I claimed to be reviewing Omnifone's MusicStation service. Except I completely messed up - through a vast oversight, I was using the Vodafone Live! service, which I criticised for being complex, prone to interruption and expensive.

But idiocy has its virtues: in this instance, it means I can see just how fantastic the real MusicStation service is by comparison. Here it is in a nutshell: Vodafone contract or pay-as-you-go customers pay £1.99 per week, for which they get unlimited music downloads with no data charges, and keep the music as long as they keep paying. It's a music subscription service, and you'll surely find yourself listening to more music, even if you don't actually buy more as a result.

It's very, very slick. There are 1.5m tracks on offer (which does include jazz and classical, going off the beaten track: I found some Glenn Gould I've never seen in a shop); you can search by artist or track or album name, and download tracks or whole albums at a keypress.

You can get recommendations of similar artists to those you've already downloaded, or top names in whichever area of music you're interested in. In just a few days of testing I tried out a far bigger range of music than I'd ordinarily come across in a month. That's because it's subscription. Stop paying and the music vanishes; and you can't transfer it to a computer.

But so what? If you love a track or album that much, buy the CD or track online. This lets you range far and wide, to see what you like and loathe. Only "explicit" music - such as Kanye West's latest - was blocked. The mobile becomes the iPod.

The arguments against subscription are weak. These days, why commit to purchasing something when technology means you can just try it? MusicStation means you can carry music around, make playlists, and recommend tracks to friends (the "community" concept is very slick). Many users might never actually buy more music, but that's OK: the MusicStation servers note each track you play, for which a bit of cash goes to the record label. It's like file-sharing without the guilt. And heaven knows we need that.

It's also cheaper than a PC-based subscription: Napster (£9.95 per month) is £119.40 per year; MusicStation, £103.48.

The only downside I could find was that the Java application is a vampire on your phone's batteries. You'll need regular recharging. Let's hope Vodafone sees sense and kills off Live! soon, for this, truly, is the future of music.

Pros: Intuitive, cheap, good range of tracks, "community"

Cons: Sucks up batteries: your phone needs regular recharging

MusicStation on a Sony Ericsson W880i

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