Get info about new reports and updates
Music Downloads Links
Other ways to get digital music
Downloading tunes might be the most convenient way to add music to your computer or portable player, but you can also get legal digital copies of music you own by ripping tracks from CDs. Ripping CDs is easy, and lots of software packages, including Windows Media Player, can handle the task. While you lose the immediacy of downloading and won't discover any new artists, it's an inexpensive way to load up a portable MP3 player, and the tracks created will work on virtually any player available.
If you're interested in listening to music online, and you like spontaneity, you may want to check out Pandora, a music site powered by the Music Genome Project. At this site, you enter one of your favorite songs or artists, and you're launched into a streaming station to explore that part of the musical universe. A free version which allows up to 40 hours of listening per month is supported by ads. If you reach the 40-hour limit, you can pay 99 cents for unlimited listening for the remainder of the month. A Pandora One subscription costs $36 for 12 months of unlimited use, is ad-free and offers higher-quality audio.
According to PCMag.com, a service called Slacker.com trumps Pandora and a similar music-suggestion site, Last.fm. With Slacker, you can listen online (for free) to any of 75 genre-based playlists, or 100 artist playlists. You can also customize your own playlists, and the service will suggest other artists you might like based on those selections. The Basic edition of the site is supported by ads, but ad-free subscriptions (*Est. $4.99 per month or $48 for a 12-month subscription) are available. You can listen online or use a downloadable application. Slacker fans can listen to their tunes on the go with a free smartphone app or on the Slacker G2 player, though the device is being phased out.
The most helpful websites we found are the ones addressing the bigger picture of digital music, including who stands to gain, music players, critical issues and upcoming technologies. These sites let you know what to watch out for.
PCMag.com has a very good article on how to buy digital music, comparing music download sites and Internet radio sites.
Macworld.com has an article explaining the implications of iTunes move to all DRM-free tracks
Billboard's Chart Beat blog covers general music industry buzz.
The blog Digital Music News discusses the music industry and digital technology.
Wikipedia has a good entry on Rhapsody with information on its history and an overview of features, limitations and pricing.
Amie Street, a website specializing in indie artists and alternative music, has been acquired by Amazon.com. Arstechnica.com explains how this will affect Amie Street's customers.
Music services websites: