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[Paul M]

The problem I have (as I am soon discovering others have as well) is the Real Player Music Store (and others like it) limits use of the download so severely that it discourages tremendously the acquisition of a large selection of songs.  Why?  Because the songs are coded rax (or ACC) and that means I can't burn them onto a cd to play in my car.  Heck, I can't even collect, manage, and play them on my Media Center on my own computer.  

I'm still not quite sure what to do now about downloading.  If the song is only available on my computer and playable only with a Real Player, then portability becomes so limited as to make it near useless.  

What to do?  I love picking individual songs to build playlists.  I like the oldy moldies from the 50,60, 70, 80, 90 and even some current hits.  I like alternative, new age, old new forgotten rock, jazz, blues, country--the whole nine yards.

Am I missing something here that can help remedy my problem?  Which is to download a song legally, burn it on a cd, and have it available for my listening pleasure on other players in the house, car, and at work.

It seems, at first blush, that ALLOFMP3 holds some real possibilities.

Can anyone offer some suggestions.

[JimH]

Windows Media DRM probably has the best support at this time.

MC will include music service(s) soon:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=20686

The compatibility problem you mention is real and there is currently no good solution, but we will be working on that.

[Miz B]

Hi Paul,

I'm a first-time poster who is de-lurking

I'm the producer who built the Real Player Music Store and Rhapsody. It's true that the restrictions the labels put on services are often a big problem for the end user, and I agree that all the rules and requirements are a hindrance to the real point of download stores, which is to allow easy (and unrestricted) music indulgence!

You ask whether you are missing something. I think you are, actually -- the songs you purchase in the Real Music Store may be burned to CD. This is also true of any of the other legal services out there (we all have basically the same rights). Most downloads in fact have *unlimited burning,* so you can do whatever you please with the song you've purchased. In the case of the Real Player downloads, you will have to burn CDs using the Real Player but that is the only caveat.

The DRM on the song prevents the song from playing on more than X registered computers (most services have a cap at 3 PCs, iTunes recently announced a cap of 5 PCs) but it does not prevent basic portability.

[JimH]

Welcome, Miz B.  Thanks for your post.

[edbro]

You pay a big price for the convenience of downloading your music. For about the same price of buying the original cd:
- you have to use your bandwidth
- you get lesser quality sound (lossy formatting)
- you have to put up with restrictions on the music you paid for
- you have to burn it yourself

It is just as easy and just as cheap to buy the cd from Amazon and have it delivered to your doorstep. It is not as fast though.

[bjsolem]

I agree with all the arguments against the download sites (restrictions, portablity, etc.) but what you DO get with most of the legal services is the ability to buy singles!

There are few records made these days that I want the whole album.  This wouldn't be true if I didn't already have a good size CD collection.  A lot of what I am looking for now are a few good tracks here and there, both from new albums and old ones I never got around to buying.  I like that I can go and pick out a tune or two here and there.  If I'm going to buy more than 5 or 6 songs off an album than I want the manufactured cd, the cd sleeve, the liner notes and the knowledge that I own the album and can do what I want with it.

Having said all that the fact that the online cd stores and record companies don't have to deal with running a physical record store, hiring employees to run the cash registers, making, packaging and shipping the cd's and they never run out of stock online, should translate to less than 99 cents a song.

I know apple etc. aren't making a ton off of each song sold but there are huge efficiency gains by selling music online, the economics don't feel like they are really fair yet.

As a side note - I wonder if any of the online stores will get around to selling physical albums as well.  Something along the lines of download the album for 9.99 or download and purchase cd for 14.99 + shipping.  That way you get your downloads now and can start listening, but you've got the manufactured cd with liner notes etc. on the way.

[Galley]

One reason why is RealPlayer Music Store is that it burns CD-Text to the disc and then reads it when I want to rip it as MP3.  I have purchased more than 100 tracks so far.