THERE’S alt-rock, alt-country, alt-pop, and now there’s finally a viable alternative to the iTunes Store – reliable and easy-to-use other options to buying music off of iTunes.
Why, you ask, would you give up the iTunes store with its 99-cent-download fee and the seamless way it adds those songs to your iTunes library? For starters, how about paying less per song? Use Amazon’s new MP3 Beta, and you can save 10 cents on hit songs. (It may not seem like a lot, but it adds up quickly.)
And then there’s better quality sound; ever turn up the volume and recoil from the terrible noise that issues forth from your iPod speakers? Songs from Amazon, Wal-Mart and Rhapsody’s sites are encoded in 256 kpbs – double Apple’s 128 – which produces superior clarity and quality of sound.
You’ll also be free of the restrictive terms that limit the way you listen to the music you now own. Buy your song off of an iTunes alternative site, and you’ll be getting an MP3 sans the digital rights management (DRM) technology that stops you from burning more than seven copies of your song or transferring it to more than five pre-authorized computers.
These DRM-free songs can be used on anything capable of playing an MP3 – including cellphones, PDAs and, yes, even an iPod – and can be burned to CD as many times as your heart desires. They can even be copied to every computer you’ve ever laid hands on.
Apple does have a mostly unpromoted DRM-free section too, called iTunes Plus. Those songs are available at 256 kbps, but your playback options are limited, since Apple is still using an advanced audio coding format, which non-Apple devices don’t always easily support.
While iTunes remains the sole (legal) place to find almost every artist and song under the sun, that might not always be the case.
At the moment, indie labels are the biggest proponents of DRM-free songs, but major labels are getting onboard, following the example set by early adopters EMI and Universal. Rumor has it that Warner Music and Sony BMG are thinking of throwing their hats in the ring next year. So if you’re looking for digital music freedom, these iTunes alternatives are your best bets:
Insignia Pilot MP3 Video Player with Bluetooth
$129.99 to $159.99; bestbuy.com
Although it comes in 4GB and 8GB models, the Pilot also supports SD cards, so you can expand its memory capacity. If watching videos on the 2.4-inch LCD display isn’t good enough, it also has video outputs. Additional features include built-in FM radio (it remembers tracks and artists you like) and a useful delete function, so you can trash songs you hate without turning to a computer.
Creative Zen
$129.99 to $349.99; creative.com
This credit card-size MP3 player has a 2.5-inch screen for displaying album art, videos and photos. Ranging in capacity from 4GB to 32GB, it has an SD memory slot for adding more memory. In addition to MP3s and WMAs, it will also play AACs and audio books from Audible.com – and if you run out of things to listen to, there’s always the FM radio.
Microsoft Zune
$149.99 to $249.99; zune.net
The newly relaunched 4GB to 80GB Zunes not only got color updates, they also got a nifty new controller system that combines a scroll pad with buttons, too. It also has a built-in FM radio and Wi-Fi synching, so you can wirelessly link up to your music library and share songs with other Zunes. Plus, its significantly larger screen than a similarly sized iPod – 3.2 inches on the 80GB Zune versus the iPod’s 2.5 inches – makes it great for watching videos.
Samsung P2
$199.99 to $279.99; Samsung.com
This Bluetooth-enabled portable media player has a 3-inch widescreen touch-screen display, giving it the look and feel of an iPod
Touch, but without the Internet capabilities. Available in 4GB and 8GB versions, the lightweight MP3 player also has a built-in radio.
Places to purchase
* Wal-Mart Music Downloads @ walmart.com
The superstore once again undercuts the competition by selling its DRM-free MP3s at 94 cents a pop, with full albums retailing for $9.22. Keep an eye out for “rollback” deals, when you can get an even bigger bargain on the songs.
They also have Windows Media Audio songs – which do carry DRM restrictions – for 88 cents each ($9.44 per album). Song downloading is limited to Windows users surfing the Web with Internet Explorer, although you can transfer the MP3 files from a PC to a Mac. You’ll need to download a program to buy the songs, but it’ll create a special playlist in iTunes or add it to your Windows Media Player library.
* Amazon MP3 Beta @ amazon.com
Chances are you already buy your books, CDs, DVDs and even gourmet food from Amazon, so why not add MP3s? The 100 best-selling tracks go for 89 cents (99 cents for other songs), while full albums range from $5.99 to $9.99, with the 100 bestsellers going for $8.99.
You’ll have to download an additional program – the Amazon MP3 Downloader – to get the 256 kbps songs, but the easy-to-use software automatically adds the new MP3s to your existing iTunes or Windows Media Player library. Like the iTunes Store, Amazon also does a Weekly Free Download.
* Rhapsody.com
The member-based music service has long been hailed as the best way to expose yourself to new music, and it now offers 89-cent downloads to subscribers (99 cents for everyone else).
While there’s unlimited access to millions of full-length tracks, the 256 kbps DRM-free downloads are strictly EMI, Universal (not all of the catalog, but you will be able to find Amy Winehouse and Johnny Cash) and indie-label acts. You’ll have to download the Rhapsody program to use it, but it’s a full-service operation, managing your digital files and providing a place to burn the songs.
* eMusic.com
The subscription-only service – $10 a month for 30 downloads – is the largest retailer of indie music, with 2 million tracks from indie labels covering every genre of music. Depending on the plan, you can get MP3s (at a lower 192kpbs) for as little as 27 cents apiece, making it super cheap to discover new artists or catch up on your favorite band’s back catalog, from before they moved up to the majors. There’s also a free daily MP3 download available in the eMusic toolbar. They’ve also recently retooled their download manager – which you need to download in order to use the service – navigation.