iTUNES Music Store, which celebrates its first anniversary this week, is still the music downloading service to beat – if you have an iPod.
If you don’t, you’ve got several other legal options, including a reformed Napster.
Except for eMusic, though, most of them work through Windows-based computers.
More than 70 million songs have been sold by iTunes, which help fill the 800,000 iPods out there. According to the NPD research group, Wal-Mart Music Store places a distance second.
All these services require downloading software for a music player. Tune by tune, the prices are similar, but some sites (Napster, Real, Much Music) also offer premium packages with value-added features, like
message boards, radio and the ability to stream songs by artists on demand.
Many services offer free trials, but since you’ve got to provide credit card info, you can get duped into signing up for a premium service when all you wanted to buy was a single track or an album.
And while you can usually play downloaded tunes on your PC or Mac (depending on your system), it can take a little detective work – and a lot of patience – to transfer them to your portable player.
There are more major music stores on the way. Sony will launch Connect.com later this spring. As early as July, Microsoft may unveil its highly anticipated software, Janus, to developers at subscription services,
which could allow all-you-can-hear downloading for as little as $10 a month.
America Online offers a music service to its subscribers as well.
So if you haven’t downloaded any music since free Napster was shut down, it’s time to boot up again.
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SERVICE SECRETS
Service secrets
SITE & RATING // SYSTEMS // SINGLES // SONGS // PROS // CONS
iTunes.com [****] (FOUR STARS) // Mac and Windows // 99 cents // 500,000+ // Easy-to-use interface // Only for iPods
napster.com [****] (FOUR STARS) // Windows 2000 only // 99 cents // 400,000+ // Whole music package – radio, downloads, message boards and magazine // Through Windows 2000 only
emusic.com [***] (three stars) // Mac and Windows // 40 songs @ $9.95 a month // 400,000+ // iPod-able, cool comments and 1,000 indie labels // Package deals only
walmart.com [**] (two stars) // Windows // 88 cents // 300,000+ // Cheaper, easy to use // G-rated, clean versions only
musicmatch.com [**] (two stars) // Windows // 99 cents // 500,000+ // Back to basics, lots of personalization, indie labels, artist-oriented radio stations // Constant confusing pricey upgrade offers
real.com [*** 1/2] (three and one-half stars) // Windows // 99 cents // 500,000+ // Consolidates national radio stations, detailed editorials and great customer service // Ads pop up when launching player