Say what you like about MIDEM, but when it comes to product launches, press statements and quotable quotes, it could pretty much fill a few editions of the CMU Daily all on its own. Expect plenty of industry and digital news for the next two days.

Digital first, of course, because the digitally-focused MidemNet always begins proceedings, even though the whole conference is dominated by digital these days. The great and the good of the internet-based music industry were out in force in Cannes this weekend, and among the digital debates to be had was the viability of the all-you-can-eat unlimited MP3 service. This has joined the list of serious digital propositions since the last edition of MIDEM, of course, as a result of Virgin Media announcing their intent to launch such a service - with Universal Music on board as a partner - last June.

As previously reported, Virgin's original plans for an Autumn 2009 launch fell through as it became clear EMI, Sony and Warner, and even some key indie players, did not share Virgin or Universal's enthusiasm for this proposition. More recent talk has been of a "limited unlimited" service, where the 'unlimited' MP3 downloads would actually come with a cap. All this has frustrated more than just Virgin Media and their partners at Universal. There is some support for the all-you-can-eat idea across the wider music industry, and some reckon the UK government should be making record labels commit to sign up to such services in return for any new anti-piracy measures, such as the three-strike system currently being considered by parliament.

But it seems unlikely the big content owners are going to budge on this any time soon, if the all-you-can-eat session at MIDEM this weekend is anything to go by. Reps from both Sony and Warner argued that consumers at large aren't actually all that interested in the all-you-can-eat proposition, and that there was a real risk it would only be taken up by big-spending music fans who currently generate sizable monthly revenues for the record industry, considerably more than the fifteen pounds a month the Virgin service would bring in.

Even Simon Wheeler of the Beggars Group - who does think that some sort of unlimited download offering will launch eventually - said he had "a huge amount of concerns around getting to an unlimited model". He supported the capped 'unlimited' service, if only to give record labels some real consumer insights into the all-you-can-eat domain.