Music Downloading Service

Edgler Vess

Going to make a long story very short...Wife and I are quitting World of Warcraft which frees up 30 dollars a month to spend on whatever we want, were both in dire need of new music (me especially). I havent used any music services in around 4 years.

Im not totally against the idea of Itunes but I need something that will save my music when this computer dies (very very soon, the hard drive is sitting next to the bent computer frame) so that I can redownload it all after the "crash" also a player that would allow my wife and I to download the music we purchase to 2 (or 3) separate computers, all on one account.

I dont have an Ipod (just a tired old 512mb MP3 Player ive been using for ages that I really like because of its lightwieght) so something multiple player friendly would be prefered, I saw the Zune thing where you get unlimited songs at 15 dollars a month (or something like that) but then it disappears when you cancel your account...anyhow any recommendations?

xeviq

That Zune Pass just sounds dumb... but it could be a good idea in disguise. You rent all the music you want and keep 10 songs a month. All for 15 bucks a month.

I use iTunes and Amazon.

Reckless

Have you considered a satellite radio setup? There's an initial cost of entry then subscription fees. I highly recommend it, and for some reason, I'm very anti-subscription services. It seems to me there's a risk of the service going under, then you lose all the music you've collected through that program.

That's just me, though.

Edgler Vess

Yeah Satellite would be OK but because of my 6 day a week cardio workout routine I really need something I can easilly put on my MP3 player. If I HAD a zune id would prolly be more likely to gamble a bit and check it out, I wasnt aware of the keep 10 songs a month portion of it......hows the selection there?

xeviq

Also, I suggest an external harddrive and backup your files.

And if you happen to lose all your iTunes music, I have heard tales of Apple letting people redownload their music.

Edit: I've never looked at Zune's collection... but I assume it's the same selection as iTunes.

Edgler Vess

Ive got a metric ton of blank CD's lying around, how is Itunes/Zune/whatever about letting you burn them to disc? This would alleviate my paranoia about how close this machine is to death if I could just burn them after I download 15 or whatever...

Daebunz

xeviq wrote: »

Also, I suggest an external harddrive and backup your files.

And if you happen to lose all your iTunes music, I have heard tales of Apple letting people redownload their music.

I'm pretty sure with itunes there's an option after you authorize the computer with your account to transfer over all purchased music. But it ONLY works with purchased stuff. Anything else you'll have to do by hand again.

Edit: Or you can do what I did when my hard drive died and I neglected to back stuff up. Set the ipod to read as an external drive, and copy the music folder from it contained in the hidden folder, ipod_control. Authorize the computer with your account, import that music folder and then sync the ipod. And it would be wise to invest in an external drive or something to back up your stuff.

xeviq

Edgler Vess wrote: »

Ive got a metric ton of blank CD's lying around, how is Itunes/Zune/whatever about letting you burn them to disc? This would alleviate my paranoia about how close this machine is to death if I could just burn them after I download 15 or whatever...

You can burn your iTune purchases on a CD. Then rip the CD back to your computer.

PeregrineFalcon

Bittorrents, FTPs, and newsgroups.

... oh, you wanted legal ones. :P

It sounds almost like a subscription model (Zune Pass) might be more of what you're after ... unlimited listening as long as you've got a compatible device.

wunderbar

I just want to point out that you should be backing up things you buy anyway, and if you're worried about your HDD dying soon, buy a new one. Seems better to get something reliable than waiting for something to die.

On topic, not many places actually let you re-download your music. Zune pass would be the closest. I'm not sure if Amazon lets you. iTunes doesnt'. Apple will on occasion let you if you ask them very nicely, but don't bet on it.

RedDawn

I have the zune pass, and don't even have a zune yet. I'm lucky enough to be able to download music to my work computer though. So far it works great for me, I can download just about any music I want at home or at work.

With your purchased music from the zune marketplace you can burn to a cd, or if it is mp3 format, which a lot of it is, you can drag it to any player you want.

I'm not the biggest fan of itunes, but it isn't bad. I lost a hard drive and they let me download all of my music again. It is harder to get the music out of itunes to other music players though.

Rhapsody and Amazon are good for getting digital music as well. With Rhapsody you can choose a lot of different formats and do what you want with them.

Hope some of that helps.

xeviq

I think the Zune Pass music will only work on a Zune or the computers the Pass is allowed on. So no iPod, cell phone, Kindle or other device can hold the Zune Pass music. Makes sense but kinda sucks. But you do still get the ten DRM-free songs a month.

Another good source for music is your library. Most have music sections which you can borrow for free.

EggyToast

The advantage of iTunes or Amazon is that all of the music on both services is DRM free, so you can copy it, burn it, whatever. Zune pass is good if you're cool with the subscription model and WMA files.

My advice, though, is to take the $30 a month you're saving and buy a damn external harddrive first. Back up your existing digital shit before you worry about acquiring more digital shit.

Edgler Vess

heh, im working on the computer thing, building a whole new rig, just saving up a last bit of cash for the final hurrah to put me over the top, not spending any money on computer stuff until the new one is built and screaming..

Gonna go look at amazon for fun, ive had good luck with thier mail me stuff service....

RandomEngy

Yeah I would get the backup sorted out first, then figure out your music situation. Once you know all your data isn't going to implode you will have a lot more flexibility in your choices.

I would recommend Lala for buying music because it lets you listen to the whole song before buying, has the lowest prices of any online music store and lets you stream your whole music collection online (including stuff you have not bought there).

Buttcleft

Amazon is a great place to get MP3s.

It was what made me break my 10 year embargo on buying music.

MrMonroe

If you head over to gomusic.ru, you'll find many many albums and artists available for download at rates from 9 to 15 cents per song.

For instance, here is the new Dave Matthew's Band album for $1.75.

I've been using it for just a little while now, it's apparently been up for years, and the Terms & Conditions clearly state that all the music they make available is licensed through a copyright agreement with the producer of the tracks.

Crazy Russians, man.

Rook

I like emusic because it's all MP3s so you can keep it. It's worth it if you can find a few bands with all their albums on it that you like, although it's heavily slanted towards indie kinda releases. And you get 45 free downloads when you sign up so I guess that's an easy start.

E.g. White Stripes, Cat Power, Bjork, Cocteau Twins, Interpol, Jonathon Coulton, Pixies etc.

flatlinegraphics

Rook wrote: »

I like emusic because it's all MP3s so you can keep it. It's worth it if you can find a few bands with all their albums on it that you like, although it's heavily slanted towards indie kinda releases. And you get 45 free downloads when you sign up so I guess that's an easy start.

E.g. White Stripes, Cat Power, Bjork, Cocteau Twins, Interpol, Jonathon Coulton, Pixies etc.

yeah, i have emusic now. no drm, plain mp3 files. the downloader app they have will point to your media folder and just dump files in it, already catagorized and everything. click, download album.

and yeah, it is heavily slanted towards indie/underground stuff. but they are evidently getting a huge chunk of tracks. like 200k worth or something. runs off a credit system, so its (now) 50 tracks a month for $20. and if you d/l whole albums, it counts anything over 12 tracks as 12 credits. all around a pretty good deal. and i think they have a free trial or something. and you can buy bigger or smaller subscriptions and booster packs if you need them.

i've gotten some really great stuff through it, esp through the recommended/related system they have.

on top of that, amazon is pretty good, in that its straight non-drm mp3s.

but yeah, first:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148405
and back stuff up!

Overlord

My interest is peaked with that gomusic.ru but I'm not sure if I trust it. Have any problems with it at all MrMonroe?

Edgler Vess

After downloading and looking at Itunes, and taking a peek at the Zune page, i decided against either of them, as they do not suit my needs well. gonna go with Amazon mp3 service. (which i was totally unaware of until this thread, thanks for the help folks)

MrMonroe

Overlord wrote: »

My interest is peaked with that gomusic.ru but I'm not sure if I trust it. Have any problems with it at all MrMonroe?

Not yet, but I've only picked up a few albums. I was referred by a friend who's been using it for years. You only get your download rights once, though, which is something to be aware of.