One could still have free music for those who value
dollars more than time.
If the music can be copied freely, couldn't the cover art and other metadata also be copied?
There's no reason in principle that an ad-supported iTunes clone couldn't do everything iTunes does - it could be more convenient, in fact, as you wouldn't have to muck around with credit card numbers and passwords. The only reason piracy is inconvenient at the moment is because it's illegal.
The music distribution system today adds value beyond just getting stuff to my computer - it selects artists, curates content, stores it for me virtually, etc. These functions would all probably find a portion of people willing to pay for them.
I am thinking of Pandoras or Shazams, perhaps with features that let me say "someone make a song like this". One could see the emergence, as a counter-movement, of heavily DRM-protected "limited release" albums.
When you make something people value free strange things happen. The most likely is still the use of force to enforce profits, i.e. some form of copyright regime.
There's no reason in principle that an ad-supported iTunes clone couldn't do everything iTunes does - it could be more convenient, in fact, as you wouldn't have to muck around with credit card numbers and passwords. The only reason piracy is inconvenient at the moment is because it's illegal.