If you consider yourself a mega-fan, camping out for tickets to your favorite artist's next show, or going online to order Japan-only CD singles just to get a few extra tracks, Apple has a new subscription service it's added to iTunes that may be right up your alley. The iTunes Pass gives you access to the new releases of a certain artist, including limited edition releases exclusive to Pass holders, for a set time window.

The first iTunes Pass package is available for fans of Depeche Mode, giving access to new releases through the middle of June for about $19. That includes their new single, the forthcoming album, bonus tracks, and music videos. All of these are DRM-free downloads, so you'll be able to access them on any compatible device.

Until the Pass expires, you'll get emails when the band comes out with anything new, or you can just set up automatic downloads to snag everything as it comes up on iTunes.

While it may have limited appeal, the Pass looks like a great option for the kind of serious fan who would be spending his or her time tracking down all these downloads separately anyway. You can bet that future Pass offerings will follow the same planning as this first Depeche Mode one, timing the period around an album release and including a handful of bonus tracks for just a bit more than the cost of a regular album download. Just so you can be sure you're at least getting a square deal, Apple promises that the value of all your downloads under the Pass will meet, if not exceed what you paid for it. There's no word yet on what bands will be getting the Pass treatment next.

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