Apple has purchased Lala — the originator of the 10-cent web song. Lala customers rented audio chunks for 10 cents. Since users can't download the songs, it's really a rental model — they'll survive only as long as Lala does.
Apple will not want to run two music services, two data centers, two billing systems. Lala's CD swapping service has already been shuttered. Myspace recently bought iMeem and immediately closed it, locking users out of their music and playlists.
In the short term Apple will leave Lala as-is, but quietly the business will die. The coffin will be stuffed full of 10-cent songs. This is why renting is a costly idea. MP3tunes users can rest assured because every customer receives software to access their entire library. They're free to download their own music or move it to a competitor. Your music will never get buried.
--MR
