Music Downloads : Ratings of Sources

Our AssessmentPCMag.com's editors review and rate pay-per-song and subscription-based music download services on a semi-regular basis. The reviews do a good job of discussing the pros and cons of each service and describing the user experience. Objective ratings help readers see where each service stands when compared against others. One negative is that the different types of services are intermingled on this list, and other types of music services, such as Internet radio and media playback software, are also included. Apple's iTunes 10 is awarded PCMag.com's Editors' Choice as of Sept. 2010, and Napster and AmazonMP3 also rank well.

Our AssessmentReviewer Jacqui Cheng gives a thorough explanation of the new Ping social networking feature on iTunes 10. Cheng says functionality is somewhat limited and mentions that the point of Ping, "to aid music discovery among circles of friends," is something that services like Last.fm, which she prefers, have been offering for a while. Several dozen users chime in, reporting various usability issues.

Our AssessmentThis site is a convenient place to find most of the major online music sites compared side by side. Though in the past listings haven't been as current as the dates would suggest, it appears that the 2010 report is reasonably up to date. There's a wealth of information regarding song libraries, file formats and pricing, although the discussion is somewhat generalized and it's not clear how much hands-on testing took place. The top-rated services here are iTunes, followed by Napster as a "very, very close second."

Our AssessmentIn this older article, David Haskin reviews five leading subscription-based music download services as well as iTunes, and finds that no matter where you come down in the buy-or-rent debate, these services generally work as advertised. He rates Rhapsody as the best overall choice for its extensive catalog and easy-to-use software, making up for its costly subscription. For iPod owners, he says there's no choice but iTunes, which has a great music selection but still lacks a subscription model. Napster and the now-defunct Yahoo! Music Unlimited have strong catalogs, Haskin says, but their software is awkward. Note that this review was written before AmazonMP3 came onto the scene in 2007.

Our AssessmentWhich? magazine -- the British equivalent of ConsumerReports.org -- tests eight music download sites for ease of use, speed and flexibility, range of music, and quality (clicks, hisses, etc.) of downloaded tracks. The top-rated site here is the U.K. iTunes store, followed by the British version of Napster (Napster.co.uk), which is praised for its "great range of music and good-quality sound." Note that due to copyright laws, many of the sites reviewed here can only be used from within the U.K., though some -- such as Napster.co.uk -- have U.S. equivalents, and others, such as Classical.com and the Sweden-based eClassical.com, can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Our AssessmentAbout.com provides a list of what reviewer Mark Harris considers the top seven music download services, but it's not clear from the descriptions whether or not he personally tested each service. Summaries on the main page are brief, but links to more detailed pages on each service are provided. Most read like a page of product specifications rather than a true critical review, however. One of Harris' picks, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, has merged with Rhapsody. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

Our AssessmentThis article discusses the addition of more mainstream tracks from Sony to eMusic, which has a reputation for indie music and new artists.