iTUNES FOR LIFE*

How much more would you pay for an iPod or iPhone to get free access to the iTunes’ library?

That’s what the Financial Times of London said Apple is negotiating with record labels, citing unnamed music industry sources, of course. The sticking point is price: How much Apple would the labels per device.

Analysts called the idea “far-fetched” and a potential “accounting nightmare,” but such a move would not be unprecedented. Nokia cut a deal in December with Universal Music Group that gives buyers of certain Nokia phones free downloads of songs from the Universal catalog.

A quick informal poll in the newsroom found most folks would shell out an extra $100 for an iPod with unlimited iTunes downloads. That’s may not be enough for the music labels.

* - for the life of the iPod, that is

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