Help Me Download Music!

archonwarp

I am really attracted to the service that Napster offers, but I do not believe it's compatible with ipods, a major problem considering that's my current mp3 player. Are there any other subscription based services out there that could possibly work with ipods?

Has anyone here used Napster? I know that they have a trial period now, but I just want to know before I bother wasting time, and these apply to any service:

Do they let you burn CDs of the music you download?
Do they have good bit-rates (preferably over 128 kbps)?
How's the selection as a whole?
ipod compatible, whether drag-n-drop or through pseudo questionable means?

I would really appreciate any help you guys can throw my way!

fforde

I hate to state the obvious, but you could use iTunes. But I guess you wouldn't be posting here if that was something you were willing to use. Pretty much any online music store that uses DRM (of course with the exception of iTunes) will not play on an iPod. The whole semi-controversy is that the iPod locks you into iTunes and iTunes locks you into the iPod. Sites like emusic sell drm-free mp3s, those would work fine on your iPod, but the selection is not so hot. You could also go with the Russian allofmp3.com service which has great bit rates, great selection and is super cheap. The legality of that site is very questionable though.

EggyToast

You could also read Napster's FAQ, although it is a little confusing.

They do not work with iPod, as they're wmv files. Similarly, you cannot burn songs downloaded via subscription to CD. If you want to burn them to CD, you have to "purchase them," which is an additional fee on top of the subscription cost.

There is currently no service that works with iPods that is a "buffet-style" subscription, allowing you to download as much as you like without actually owning any of it.

archonwarp

I see, then is there a recommended mp3 player that's napster compatible? I saw they had some listed there, but I don't need anything to watch videos on, so I don't want a bigass/scratchable screen. Any ideas?

Mai-Kero

archonwarp wrote: »

I see, then is there a recommended mp3 player that's napster compatible? I saw they had some listed there, but I don't need anything to watch videos on, so I don't want a bigass/scratchable screen. Any ideas?

Do you have a DS? If so, there are addons and apps you can get that basically make it into an MP3/movie player with a touchscreen and awesome games.

I got a Max Media Dock and a CF card for $40 total, and it works, but is quite clunky and sticks out of the slot really far. There are far better options, up to ones that are form-fitting with the DS card slot.

archonwarp

Well, I really want to be able to have full access to stuff while I'm in my car, and since I use my mp3 player via radio/cable for sound, I could easily use that to listen to stuff in my car. Though I suppose the free one they offer might be sufficient, assuming i change it based upon what I want to listen to prior to driving?

fforde

The Zune locks you into their music store the same as the iPod, but they have an all you can eat purchase model like Napster.

lsahdjf

You mentioned you wanted input on the selection. I was very disappointed with the music they had. I don't know what kind of music you listen to but three that stick out for me are The Fugees - The Score, Wu-Tang Clan - Wu Forever, Ratatat - Ratatat. Just a warning. I haven't really explored any other music services though so I don't have a better alternative for you.

EggyToast

archonwarp wrote: »

Well, I really want to be able to have full access to stuff while I'm in my car, and since I use my mp3 player via radio/cable for sound, I could easily use that to listen to stuff in my car. Though I suppose the free one they offer might be sufficient, assuming i change it based upon what I want to listen to prior to driving?

I'm pretty sure Napster uses "PlaysForSure" players, and you should be able to find a small flash player for relatively cheap that's compatible. I'd imagine they would list the stores they work with.

Is this just for a radio substitute? Do you plan on changing the playlists every day? Do you have the time to manually swap stuff out? How much do you want to realistically spend in a given month?

I ask for 2 reasons -- one, if you simply want a radio substitute that plays music you like, perhaps XM or Sirius would be a better thing to get into than a subscription service w/ a new mp3 player. Two, moderately recent iPods are very good about remembering smart playlists away from iTunes, and if you spend a little time setting up ratings, smart playlists, and so on, you can essentially turn an iPod into a damn good "radio" service. Most people have some favorite songs that they like to hear occasionally, along with other, lesser known songs, and a good set of playlists and ratings can make iTunes essentially your own personal DJ -- without having to pay a subscription. It is, of course, reliant on you owning the songs you want to listen to.

Loata

You could download them from Limewire or something and then import them to ITunes.

But, you know, I don't think that that is quite legal. >_>

Lucky Cynic

What happened to just buying the Albums themselves? Nobody buys CDs anymore? Unless iPods don't allow ripped music to be uploaded, there is probably no real reason not to get it at a store.

EDIT: Okay, maybe convenience, but I always trust a physical CD more than a download.

archonwarp

The reason I don't want to use itunes of buy the physical albums are as follows: I love variety. Absolutely in love with an ever changing playlist, and, much like eggy said, I do have a medium sized list of things I listen to regularly. However, I am not made of money, and the 20 seconds previews on itunes are not enough for me to get the feel for whether or not I like something.

TLDR: It's cheaper to go with a month-by-month service of unlimited tunes. thanks for the info, especially the 'PlaysForSure' !

DeathPrawn

Have you checked out www.emusic.com? I know it's not the kind of subscription service you're looking for (you get a set number of downloads per month, not an unlimited buffet), but I've found it to be great for getting musical variety. Since they are completely DRM-free, they don't offer all the mainstream stuff, but as a result they have a huge selection of funky off-beat stuff. Also, as they are DRM-free, everything you download will work with whatever mp3 player you have or may have in the future. The three size plans hover around $0.30 per song; with the plan I'm on, I pay $15/month for around 4-5 whole CDs. That's a little more than a new CD a week, and even more variety than that if you don't buy entire albums. I subscribed before they nerfed the plans, so the $20/month option is probably more comparable now.

[edit] if you sign up for a free trial, they'll also give you 25 free songs that you get to keep!