Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[JimH]

I've been asking, about every six months, what music service (if any) you're using.  It's been 6.3 months since my last request.

MusicMatch?
Buy.com?
AppleMusic?
eMusic?
Rhapsody?
etc.

And what do you think of it?  Do you expect to keep going?  What would keep you using it?

Thanks.

[modelmaker]

The only one I use is Emusic. I've subscribed for about 1 1/2 years now - a bit longer than I've had MC.  I like the "unlimited" downloads and unrestricted usage. I DL rock/classic rock/jazz/some classical and some contemporary(Emusic's weakest area). It's also cheap.

I still use MMJB 7.5 for some tagging (cddb) but won't be upgrading and did not pay for the lifetime upgrades.

I think the prices all these other services are charging for mp3s and WMAs is too high considering the lack of quality(compared to CD), the restictions as to your usage and you don't get the CD, jewel case, liner and liner notes. For about the same money I can buy the CD ten minutes from my house. I think 50 cents a track is a far more reasonable price for an essentially inferior product, afterall their production costs are way down too.

Just my opinion, Jay.

[MachineHead]

Still using Emusic. Even though I should have went 12 months...

The mp3's are, for the most part, LAME VBR. The price is reasonable.

The only real downside-lack of big name artists. But, I have found a ton of good stuff nontheless.

I do plan to keep on using it. Though I do on occasion get a nasty email telling me to slow down on the downloads. Heh, it takes about 5-6 minutes now to download an album. Sometimes I get a little trigger happy, and, well, you know...

Adding more, or rather, expanding the choices of artists would keep me using it.

[KingSparta]

I like the "unlimited" downloads

well they are limited.

[parannoya]

I have Windows XP and Windows iPod....

Not really many good options for Windows users yet.

MMJB- i like the monthly streaming service to which I subscribe for 5 bucks a mo.  but since their store only does WMA, I must go elsewhere, and consequently, I will cancel my subscription. and since I will cancel the subscription, and the iPod plug-in is lame, is part of the reason I am switching to MC9.

Emusic- tired the free trial 50 free mp3.  Very easy to use, happy that the files would play on my iPod.  But I had a hard time finding 50 songs I wanted.

iTunes- not avail. for Win yet so I can't say.

Rhapsody- tried the free trial, then subscribed for one month.
Because the files can only be burned to CD, I had to download them, burn them, then rip them to MP3 to get them on my iPod. so it was a lot of work.  But at least i am able to use them.

But... you have to pay $10/mo subscription, just to be able to BUY downloads for .79.  So by the time i bought one album, it ended up costing me $24 for the one CD, AND I had to do all the work.  Its a stupid concept.  If anything, I would join for one month, when I planned to download EVERYTHING, then just cancel.  

Pressplay- tried the free trial.. too confusing..... what the heck does "make downloads portable mean"  plus, its WMA so won't work on iPod.  And it also requires a monthly subscription, just to be able to BUY tracks.  Stupid.

Buymusic. - checked it out. WMA format, won't work for me on iPod.

So not many choices at this point.  Looking forward to iTMS for Win and hopefully Napster 2.0 will do something that makes sense for iPod users.

[modelmaker]

well they are limited.

For me the 2000/month DLs Emusic allows is as good as "unlimited". That's why the word was in quotes - It's also Emusic's term, DLers dont
actually find out until they reach that limit - I never have , just read about it.

[JeffB]

I don't suppose that P2P networks counts as a music service?

[Kurt Young]

paranoya, good points.  Why pay a subscription just so that I can buy songs and do all the work?  That's why iTunes Music Store is beating the pants offa them.

I love the iTunes Music Store and MusicMatch Downloads interface.  It's pure gold, in my opinion.  I'm still a bit too p2p-jaded to think that $0.99 per song is affordable.  It's still too much, especially when there's no physical media delivered (unless you want to do the work yourself and make your own physical media out of what they deliver).  I like that iTMS is using aac -- smaller file size is better in every situation.

I'm anxiously awaiting trying out iTMS for Windows, however, I'm hopeful that someone out there will bring prices down a bit more, while keeping the clean interface and no subscription fees that iTMS has.  

Jim, if y'all are working on something back there, I'd suggest that you make it look and play just like iTMS or MMJBD, and drop prices to $0.50 per song and $7 per album.  Make the post-download experience easy, friendly, and useful -- none of this "you have to activate your music on up to two computers" or "you can only burn them to CD" or whatever.  Make it so that my grandma can use it.  Offer good quality downloads, properly tagged*, that will work on my iPod (aac or mp3, that is).


*This is an important part.  If we have to go onto the 'net, plug in our own tags, cover art, lyrics and etc... if we have to do the work ourselves, p2p will continue to be an alternative.  It's the extra attention to detail on the post-download product that will give one service the edge or make a service worth the money.  Don't make the common Apple mistake that quality and customer service stops at the cash register.  (Now now now, I know you guys don't make that mistake... not accusing anything, and you know I love y'all.  It's just a disturbing trend that I'm starting to see with tech companies lately.)

[rocketsauce]

Currently I have EMusic, but will probably not continue when my year subscription is up at the beginning of January. They have a lot of cool stuff and I have downloaded a lot. The problem is that I just don't seem to ever get around to listening any of it. I also buy a few cds a month and I barely get around to listening to those.

For me, the problem with services like iTunes is that at 0.99 per song if you buy an entire album you've paid just as much as if you've bought the cd. So, if you're going to end up paying the price of a cd you might as well just buy the cd and get actual "cd quality" audio. The only reason I would use an iTunes-like service would be to download the occassional pop song by an artist whose cd I definitely would not buy.

Rob

[marketability]

I subscribed to eMusic for 12 months but stopped 6M ago
what I liked...
1. easy download and integration with MJ/MC
2. Unlimited downloads
3. Plenty of "known" bands inc some big names

what I didn't like (and why I stopped using)
1. way low bitrate
2. lack of new "known" bands, the new stuff seemed to be mostly v obscure


I tried OD2/Virgin for about 2 days
what I liked...
1. Good band selection plenty of "mainstream" and indie
2. Nice interface
what I didn't like
1. low bitrates
2. very expensive compared to CD given that there's no case/book and the rip rate is so poor
3. Many good bands only offered restrictive use

[KingSparta]

I don't suppose that P2P networks counts as a music service?

No

I do use it to share Public domain stuff like Old Time Recordings.

JimH is talking about Paid services.

[crowfan]

I would throw all of my weight behind what Kurt Young has said. That is exactly what I would have said if I had replied first!

I have yet to use any paid service. The only kind I ever would use would be an iTunes/MM type service -- I refuse to pay a subscription AND pay for downloads. Actually, I would pay for a subscription like eMusic if it offered enough mainstream music.

The problem to me is the format. I have an iPod, so I can only use mp3 or aac. I won't download something I can't put on my iPod.  From what I understand, mp3s cannot really accept any good type of DRM and so they are reluctant to use that format. I don't know if this is true (I don't know enough about how this stuff works).  I guess a choice of formats would be really nice, but I could see how that would be hard to do.

crow

[parannoya]

I think .99 for individual tracks is fair because you can cherry pick the songs you like.

But for complete albums, there should be a cap on it...like 7-10 bucks for popular releases. (less for "bargain bin" stuff).  For example, if you have an "Album" with 15 tracks on it, you end up paying $15, which is more than I would pay for the CD at Best Buy.

And thats all assuming a high quality compressed file, with all the tag info complete and accurate.  

I don't even mind some DRM as long as its pretty transparent.  I've been using Audible.com content with DRM for three years, (last six months on iPod). Its been trouble free.  Its fairly transparent except for the initial "activation" of my iPod, and until only recently, you were pretty limited to using their software.  But now, other media players like MC9 are adding support for their format (.aa), so you can use whatever works best for you, depending on what portable player you have.

[KingSparta]

I would not mind paying $10 each month and allow me to select songs and then burn them to CD but I do not want to pay $10.00 here and $10.00 there I want full access to all music and allow me to pick what I want to buy from a central music clearing house.

These 300,000 tracks here and there music clubs (eMusic, Rhapsody etc...) of obscure music is not my Idea of a deal.

I would want access to music that has charted on all music charts.

[Charlemagne 8]

I use Emusic and Rhapsody regularly. Emusic's Rock section is mostly people you've never heard of but their jazz, blues and world music sections are top notch.
Rhapsody has ALMOST everything you would find in your local record store and at MUCH better quality than even the best radio stream. And their content increases daily. Sometimes by hundreds of albums a week.
I plan on keeping Rhapsody but not Emusic. Of course, I said that a year and a half ago and it hasn't happened yet.
I am looking into Sirius as they also stream their content. The hardware is expensive but $12.50/month for radio AND streaming is good. I would forego all of the above if there were a service that provided:
1. High quality streams via PC
2. High quality downloads that were based on a price-per-megabit of file size. Paying the same price for both a 20 minute song and a two minute song is ridiculous.
3. Satellite radio that was user-selected like Rhapsody.

All of the above COULD be done for a reasonable price using existing technology and infrastructure.

Back to the original question:
I have tried both Buymusic.com and MusicRebellion.com and the results were less than satisfactory.
There was a new service talked about in the Music Services board (Magnatunes, I think) but they REALLY have no decent content.

I've also tried Puretunes but that really was unsatisfactory.

CVIII

[rocketsauce]

There was a new service talked about in the Music Services board (Magnatunes, I think) but they REALLY have no decent content.

Actually, Magnatunes shouldn't really be viewed as a download service. It is a record label that has opted to sell it's music via download rather than the traditional retail channels. I didn't realize that before I posted the link in the Services Forum.

I agree, though, the content is limited...no well known artists. There are only a few things on there that I might download, but I think the site has been up for only several months. It's a great idea/experiment and certainly deserves support from anyone who has ever complained about the way traditional music labels operate. Being that you can listen to an entire album (via streaming) before buying it and you can download .wav files of an album for as little as $5.00, I'm sure most people can find something there that they like. Also, 50% of what you pay for the album goes to the artist. It's a great way to support a new music business model, as well as give a little support to new or less mainstream artists.

From the Magnatunes website:

http://www.magnatune.com/info/why

My solution:

   * I thought: why not make a record label that has a clue? That helps artists get exposure, make at least as much money they would make with traditional labels, and help them get fans and concerts.
   * Magnatune is my project. The goal is to find a way to run a record label in the Internet Reality: file trading, Internet Radio, musicians' rights, the whole nine-yards.
   * If you think Magnatune is a worthy goal, please support it. There are powerful forces who want it to fail, so I need your help if this is going to work.

Rob

[lise]

I subscribe to e-music, and while I rarely use the service, when I get in the mood, I love having it. I love the lack of mainstream artists (in Rock, at least).  I have discovered many fantastic artists, and its what I used to use Napster for too--to listen to bands I've never heard of.  I wish it offered the option to buy lossless tracks and or albums as well for a good discount.

As others have said here, I would never subscribe to a "service" that merely allowed me to buy tracks. That's just nuts.

Nor would I ever pay on a track by track basis for anything short of a lossless file; and even then, the track would have to cost less than $1 (Canadian) with a cap on albums as has been suggested.  $7 for a lossless album sounds about right; less than the cd, but then I'm doing the work.

[cct1]

1.  Emusic:  Love it for Jazz, Blues, classical.  Almost no name brand rock though.  I've subscribed for 3 months, and will continue for another year, at least...It fills a wonderful niche, has a great UI, and almost unlimited downloads...

2.  Rhapsody:  They are oh so close...If it weren't for the subscription price, this would be my favorite.  I took the week free trial, paid for a bunch of songs at .79 a pop to fill holes in my library, then cancelled--no way I'll pay for something I don't need--the radio.  I love their setup--.wav files;  it's essentially the same as having the original CD, and I can rip it into any format I want.  Yes, it's a slight hassle to have to burn first, then rip, but I've got an original CD quality copy that I can rip into any format, at any quality that I want--I love it!!  It's as close to buying the original CD as you can get...I think this is the best model--people who don't get into mp3 can use it on a regular CD player; people who get into mp3 can rip it--they have two markets covered, if they'd get rid of the subscription price.....Someday someone will come up with this format WITHOUT the subscription price; I'll be all over it when that happens.  Hint, Hint....(there are rumors that Rhapsody itself may do this, I hope so, the have a very nice catalogue...).

The Itunes music store is out for me at present, being a windows user.  I can' t use AAC anywhere but on my ipod, unless I convert formats, which I'm not all that excited about...And I'd have to make a choice between MC9 and AAC if I use the store, so I'm hoping a non AAC, non WMA service, either .wav  (preferably) or high quality mp3 will be available to me....

[Charlemagne 8]

In my experience, the streaming quality of Rhapsody (if you have a high-speed connection) is as good as the burning quality. I really like Rhapsody because it's like having another hard drive full of songs to listen to whenever you want. I burn very little because:
1) I can listen whenever I want and
B) I really hate to pay TWICE for a song or album. (Subscription rate + $0.79 per track)

There was some discussion a few months ago about the burning quality of Rhapsody and there never was a satisfactory answer ... even from Rhapsody. They'll tell you the listening bitrate but not the bitrate of the songs you buy. I suspect that means they're the same.

CVIII

[Galley]

RealOne Rhapsody is the best of the bunch.  It will be great when they begin to offer a subscription free model.

[cct1]

Charlamagne:  I understand where you're coming from--Rhapsody's radio is fantastic if that's how you listen to music--for me though, It's strictly my ipod, and that's why I don't want/need a subscription radio service...If rhapsody offers a subscription radio service, and nonsubscription download service, they'll have the best of both worlds, and will be huge IMHO..

The downloaded files appear to be the same, or close to the same quality as .wav files--at least by size.  They are playable on CD (not mp3) players, so I think the quality of the downloads are quite good--actually the best I've seen anywhwere.

[kiwi]

I'm waiting for iTMS for Windows.  It shouldn't be long... supposedly some time in Oct.

kiwi

[Charlemagne 8]

Drowbe,
That was worth considerably more than $0.02. Your check is in the mail.
Actually, that covered EVERYTHING that Emusic is and is not. Very well said.
CVIII

[rocketsauce]

I also think it's great that EMusic has recently acquired some good label back catalogues. For example, tons of stuff from Beggars Banquest from the 80s and 90s...Bauhaus, Love & Rockets, Gary Numan, just to name a few. Also, things like what seems to be almost the entire Kinks cataloque from the 60s, 70s and 80s. I think a service like Emusic would be a great way for labels to make money while making out-of-print stuff available.

Rob

[markp99]

MusicMatch for me.  Not for individual .99 song downloads, but for their "cd quality" internet radio service.

[KingSparta]

here is something i got in my e-mail today

Hi Mark,

We have very exciting news...
Napster lives and it's legit! In the near future, pressplay will re-launch as Napster. Here's a little inside scoop on the exclusive features of the Napster Premium service:

On-demand, commercial-free radio -- skip forward, jump back and download directly from our exclusive Napster programmed radio stations. You can also create your own radio station with music customized to your tastes!

Unlimited downloading on up to three computers and unlimited streaming of full-length songs.

Burn songs to CD and transfer to portable players for just 99 cents a track or buy albums for just $9.95!

Send tracks and playlists to other Napster community members. Receive music and send messages using your Inbox!

Browse and download from other members' music collections to build your collection fast.

Speak out! Access to the Napster message boards organized by music genre and more.

And what this means for you, our publishers:

You will be part of the re-launch of the most recognized online music brand in the world, with 97% online brand awareness!

For the next couple of weeks, you will not be earning bounties; instead I hope you will be thinking of the great ways you can promote Napster to your audience.

The bounty system will remain the same when we re-launch; $6 for each Napster monthly subscriber and with the Napster brand, just think of how much response these links will generate!

The Napster Premium service is just $9.95/month - nearly half the cost of most albums!

We will email you again about a week prior to launch, so that you have plenty of time to get the new banners and links ready.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. We're looking forward to launching Napster with you!

Best,

Elizabeth

[Kurt Young]

Hrmmph.  I was hoping that they'd be pioneering again.  Sigh.

From what I read there, King, that's $9.95 a month for the service as well as $9.95 per album.  I get to pay $10 a month for the privilege of paying $10 per album I download while I am a member?

Used CDs via ebay are a better deal than this.

Although, it's odd... she says that one of the benefits of Premium is "unlimited downloads onto three computers" and then goes on to say "buy albums for $9.95" -- so... which is it?  Hrmmph again.

[kiwi]

It sounded like the deal was $10 a month and you could listen to an unlimited number of songs on your computer.  If you want to burn them or move them to a portable player, it becomes $0.99 a track or $10 an album to buy that right.


I think that it's interesting that even though they are charging, they are still going to rely on people sharing files.  (probably to lower their bandwidth usage.)

[crowfan]

How is this different from Rhapsody, which is even cheaper ($0.79 a song as opposed to $0.99)?  

That's not great news; I was hoping Napster would be the one to slay them all....

crow

[kiwi]

I've just started playing around with music from http://www.etree.org/.  It's an organization for bootlegs of concerts and the like.  All free, all leagal to copy.  The quality might not be quite as good as the studio copies, but I've found some sound board bootlegs and even some studio recorded collections.  

The only down side is that the files are flac or shn.  So with my slow DSL connection (and horribly metered bandwidth in NZ) I can't download that many a month, and when I download they take a really long time at 12KBps.

But it's fun.

kiwi

[kentschu]

I used eMusic for a couple months, downloaded everything that might ever be of interest to me (about 3000 songs), and then they sent me a disconnect notice because I downloaded so much.  (I love it that they have a different definition of "unlimited" than I do).  So I cancelled my account without a problem because there was nothing good left for me to download.

I started using MusicMatch Downloads (MMD) recently.  And I must say that I'm impressed.  They have a great selection and it's easy to use.  I've even been able to transfer the songs to a shared directory for my AudioTron to play the songs (I'm using a beta firmware so that AT can read DRM files).
The only problem with MMD is the MM software itself - I HATE it.  

Is there a way to play the DRM protected files from within MC?  If I can play them on portables and on my AT, I would think there must be a way for MC to play them too.  Plus, it's on the same computer, so it's still within the licensing constraints.  If they intend to only allow use by MM software in the future, then as soon as someone new comes along, I switch.  But I do love being able to browse their huge collection of songs and pick and choose ones I like for 99 cents.

By the way, most albums are $10.  For example, I purchase a Gin Blossoms album with 14 or 15 songs on it for $10.  So you can get a better price for albums if you want everything on it.  But mostly I only want two or three songs from an album, so 99 cents each is great!

Kent

[modelmaker]

I have to retract my previous praise of Emusic after receiving they're email today.

[Kurt Young]

iTunes for Windows is coming next week.  

[Charlemagne 8]

I have to retract my previous praise of Emusic after receiving they're email today.

Me, too.

CVIII

[MachineHead]

Goodbye Emusic. I will not continue my subscription.

Too bad. They had a lot a stuff I would have liked to listen to before this came up.

[Charlemagne 8]

This is certain suicide for Emusic. Why don't they know this?

[MachineHead]

They also killed the message boards there.

[Charlemagne 8]

Did they, now!?
Not surprising. I can imagine the conversations there.
I was JUST about to go check that out. I guess I won't bother.

[MachineHead]

DL manager is borked. Can't get anything to load. Imagine that.

I just cancelled  a few minutes ago.

[Charlemagne 8]

Yep. Downloading has been broken since last night. Still is, it seems.
So you think their intent is to P.O.  everyone ? Even if you intended to stay, you would want to download ahead of the 40 track limit.

[MachineHead]

I'm sure that's why it doesn't work. Overloaded servers.

Still, looks they'll get about 3/4 of a month out of me for nothing if this keeps up. Oh well, I'm sure I got a pretty good deal while it lasted.