How to Choose a Music Download Service

The music download world is changing, and some past problems are no longer an issue. Currently, most downloaded music is free of the restrictions of digital rights management. Music download services offer much more than music tracks, so you should select one that meets all your
music-experience needs.

• Music selection is key. All music download services have a slightly different catalog and slant to the music they provide. If you want to be loyal to one service and benefit from any rewards given for frequent purchases, make sure that the service you choose carries enough of your favorite type of music.

• Previews can help you decide. You can preview tracks before you purchase them at most music download services, but the preview length may vary from 30 seconds to 90 seconds.

• Music storage lets you listen anywhere. Many music download sites allow you to store your music collection online (in the cloud), which means you can access it wherever there's an Internet connection. Pricing varies, though, and some services have limitations. For now, Google Music is the most flexible, and it's free.

• Tunes should be easy to find. You should be able to easily search your music by song title, album, artist or playlist. It's also useful to be able to quickly access your most recent purchases.

• Don't overlook sound quality. Online music stores compress music to varying degrees. The amount of compression is expressed as a bitrate -- how many bits of data are contained in each second of a song. The higher the bitrate, the lower the compression and the better the sound quality. The typical bitrate for most music downloads is 256 kbps, but some services offer tunes at higher or lower bitrates.

• Where you live will determine your access to download music services. Label rights vary in different parts of the world. Check that your service of choice is available in your country. (All of the services in this report are available in the U.S.)