Music Downloads

The best music downloads

As noted in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers, if you have an iPod (or an iPhone), iTunes (*est. 99¢ per track) is most likely your best choice for a music download service. iPods are not designed to play nice with most other download services (though you can upload unprotected MP3 files to them) and iTunes' file format is incompatible with non-iPod MP3 players. You can use iTunes to download music to enjoy on your computer or to burn to a CD, but most reviewers say there are better (and less expensive) choices. High per-track costs and the lack of a subscription service are two major complaints we've seen echoed in many quarters about iTunes, although everyone agrees that the iTunes interface is excellent.

For owners of other MP3 players, there are lots of other choices, though some music download services have disappeared as sites jockey for market share by absorbing competitors and increasing the size of their song catalogs. The biggest player in this regard has been Napster, which absorbed Virgin Digital and AOL Music Now in January 2007, pumping up its catalog to over three million songs, which is comparable to the iTunes library.

Once the bad boy of the music download business for its free (and unregulated) file sharing, Napster is now a subscription service (*est. $10 per month) that allows unlimited streaming onto your PC. You can also choose to buy individual songs in WMA format (*est. 99¢ each), which can be burned onto a CD or loaded onto an MP3 player. Napster also offers a free streaming service, but songs can only be played three times. After that, you have to become a paid subscriber or purchase the track if you want to listen to the song again. The Napster To Go service allows you to download an unlimited number of songs to a compatible MP3 player (*est. $15 per month). As with all subscription services, if you let your subscription lapse, you lose access to your music.

In reviews, Napster generally does well. For example, it is the top music download service at PC Magazine, where Rick Broida calls it "the music-subscription champ." John Frederick Moore and Troy Dreier at CNet.com feel that Napster's subscription and track charges are high, but add that "if it's an all-encompassing digital music shopping experience you're after, Napster's tough to beat."

Yahoo! Music , which sells music in WMA format, has also absorbed some of its competition, acquiring MusicMatch and adding it to its Yahoo! Music Unlimited service, swelling the size of the catalog to over two million songs. If you choose to pay an annual fee (*est. $72 per year) rather than go month to month (*est. $9 per month), reviewers say Yahoo! Music Unlimited's streaming online music service is a great value if you want to listen on your computer. Songs can also be purchased (*est. 79¢ to 99¢ each) if you want to keep or burn them on a CD or load them to a music player. If you have an MP3 player and prefer a music subscription, Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go allows you to transfer music to a compatible MP3 player, but not to an iPod. Month-to-month subscriptions are available (*est. $15), but the annual subscription again offers greater savings (*est. $144 per year).

We haven't seen a review of Yahoo! Music Unlimited since its acquisition of MusicMatch, but earlier reports do note some issues -- mainly a somewhat problematical interface that reviewers such as CNet.com's Troy Dreier say is sluggish and that InformationWeek's David Haskin says is buggy and prone to periodic freezes. Reviewers have also commented that the library is light compared with those of competitors. The MusicMatch merger has certainly helped that last issue. As for interface -- only time will tell; check back for our next update, when we hope to have more information. In the meantime, issues aside, reviewers hail Yahoo! Music Unlimited as a great value and, as Haskin calls it, "an attractive choice."

If your taste runs beyond the usual fare that can be found at most music download sites, eMusic (starting at *est. $10 per month) bears some consideration. eMusic doesn't contract with major labels, so its catalog consists mainly of indie groups and emerging artists, but you can also find some releases from major artists on smaller labels dating from the beginnings or ends of their careers.

eMusic has a couple of other interesting twists that set it apart from other music download sites. For one, it offers music in DRM-free MP3 format, which can be played on virtually any PC or MP3 player -- including the iPod. Secondly, eMusic uses a unique subscription-to-own program. Songs are not available on a per-track basis. Instead, users purchase a number of downloads per month (30, 50 or 75) at a fixed cost (*est. $10 to $20), resulting in a low per-track cost (*est. 26¢ to 33¢). eMusic also recently announced a deal with AT&T whereby you can download five tracks per month to a compatible cell phone (*est. $7.50).

Reviewers say eMusic won't be everyone's cup of tea. Janet Ingber, writing at AFBAccessWorld.com, found the music download site easy to use despite some learning-curve hiccups at first, and appreciates the DRM-free MP3 files. However, she had a lot of trouble finding tracks from some better-known artists such as the Beatles and Tim McGraw, while searches for music from the Black Eyed Peas and Mariah Carey yielded only tribute band recordings. Rick Broida at PC Magazine, however, is "ears-over-heels for eMusic." He loves the ability to get MP3s without the nuisance of DRM issues, adding that they make "other stores' heavily armored downloads seem particularly draconian." He notes that big-name artists remain scarce, but that even there he sees some improvement. Broida also says that "half the fun is discovering new artists," and that eMusic provides a lot of tools to make that easier.

Other music download sites

The wave of consolidations noted above is far from over. Two struggling services -- Real Networks' Rhapsody and MTV's Urge -- have recently announced a joint venture, to be called Rhapsody America. Verizon Wireless has also signed on to distribute music content to mobile devices. These current and future services offer music downloads in WMA format.

Reports say that the Rhapsody and Urge marriage is one of necessity given the current landscape. Rhapsody trails behind larger services, such as Napster and iTunes, in terms of content. Urge was originally a joint venture between MTV and Microsoft. However, soon after its birth, Microsoft more or less abandoned it to turn all its attention to the Zune and the Zune Marketplace download service (profiled below). A buggy and sluggish interface, according to reports, did little to encourage use.

While we wait for more details on Rhapsody America -- including pricing and even a launch date -- Rhapsody soldiers on. One thing most critics point to as a positive is that Rhapsody has a better search interface than some other services, including Napster. At present, a Rhapsody subscription (*est. $13 per month) provides unlimited access to songs and a 10 percent discount on purchased tracks (*est. 99¢ each or 89¢ with discount). Rhapsody To Go (*est. $15 per month) lets users download songs onto compatible MP3 players.

Urge, on the other hand, appears to be a casualty. Though reports say it will remain part of Windows Media Player for a while, new subscribers are being directed toward Rhapsody's site and existing subscribers being pushed to switch to the Rhapsody service while they wait for the debut of Rhapsody America.

Wal-Mart.com Music Downloads is as no-frills as its stores, reviewers say. And in keeping with its brick-and-mortar operations, its per-track price (*est. 88¢) undercuts that of most other music download services. Some -- though far from all -- might appreciate the fact that Wal-Mart won't sell any music that carries a Parent Advisory label for explicit lyrics. However, Wal-Mart's music catalog is less than half the size of iTunes, Napster and others and does not offer a subscription service.

In late August, Wal-Mart began offering some music downloads in non-DRM-protected MP3 format. Prices are higher (*est. 94¢ each), but the tracks can be played on any MP3 device, including the iPod and Microsoft's Zune, or burned to CD as many times as you like. Wal-Mart has also begun selling complete downloadable albums in MP3 format.

Offering music in an unprotected format is not unique (eMusic has been doing it legally for years). What is different here is that major labels -- such as Universal and EMI -- and major artists -- such as Bon Jovi -- are being distributed in this format. Time will tell if this is a sea change in how music is distributed over the Internet -- as some critics predict -- or if this is an unusual situation leveraged by Wal-Mart's massive brick-and-mortar operations.

It used to be that Sony Connect only made sense if you owned a Sony-brand MP3 player or PlayStation Portable (PSP); that's because the music purchased from this site was exclusively in a proprietary ATRAC3Plus format that wouldn't play on other music players. Since then, Sony has expanded its offerings to other formats, such as AAC, MP3 and WMA, as well as ATRAC3Plus. However, according to the site, these formats are only available to customers who buy music with the intention of burning it onto a CD; your portable options are still restricted to Sony devices. We haven't seen any reviews yet of the expanded Sony Connect; if we do, we'll be sure to include them in the next version of this report.

The Zune Marketplace is a download service designed for use with the Zune player, Microsoft's ambitious challenger to Apple's iPod. The late James Kim at CNet.com says that the Zune Marketplace "matches the Zune in simplicity, functionality, performance, and potential," but he -- and virtually everyone else who's weighed in -- wonders at Microsoft's wisdom in gearing the site exclusively to Zune hardware. It's one thing for Apple to design a site pegged to the wildly popular iPod, but it's another thing entirely for Microsoft to do the same with the heretofore far less successful Zune player. At least an unlimited monthly subscription plan is available (*est. $15). Single-song downloads can be purchased using "Zune Points," a convoluted system that does little but obscure the actual cost of a download (*est. 99¢).

AllofMP3.ru is a controversial Russian-based site whose 9¢-per-song downloads infuriated the music industry. The service was shut down during the summer, but late August posts on the website state that it has received a favorable Russian court ruling and that it will resume operations shortly. This site is able to evade U.S. copyright laws by basing operations in Russia. Countless other websites do the same thing. The focus of this report is on above-the-board music download sites. But if you're a daring type, there are countless others willing to accept your credit card information. Smart music lovers will do their homework into the legitimacy of such sites before forking over their personal financial information.

Music formats and DRM

Music downloads come in a variety of formats, called "codecs." MP3 is the most flexible format, since almost any portable music player will play an MP3 music file. However, most music download websites don't use (or are discouraged from using) the MP3 file format because MP3s aren't copy protected. Today, the majority of online music stores use the WMA format, which can be closely controlled by a copy-protection scheme called Digital Rights Management (DRM). Whenever you download a DRM-protected WMA music file, it will come with restrictions on how you can use that music. For example, some music services will restrict how many times you can burn a track to a disc. DRM also allows services to offer subscriptions whereby you "lease" music instead of owning it (which means that all the music you've leased disappears if you discontinue your subscription). Almost all MP3 players (except for iPods) can play songs in WMA format.

iTunes uses a proprietary codec. iTunes calls its format AAC (Advanced Audio Coding). AAC songs can only be played on iPod music players and through the iTunes software on your computer. To play a song you've purchased from iTunes on another player, you'd have to first convert it to the WMA or MP3 format with third-party software. The problem with buying Apple's AAC-coded songs is that you're buying into an uncertain future; to date, Apple has refused to license this technology to other manufacturers. iPods are popular now, but five or ten years down the road, the story could be different -- and if Apple doesn't soften its stance, that means you'll have little choice but to continue buying AAC-compatible Apple music players in the future, regardless of whether other devices are better.

Bit rate

Online music stores sell music in varying bit rates, which is roughly proportional to sound quality. The typical bit rate for most music downloads is 128 kbps, but some services go up to 160, 192 or even 320 kbps. However, sound quality is also affected by the quality of your music player, your headphones and/or your computer speakers. If you have audiophile-quality equipment (or ears), you're better off going with a service that offers at least a 192 kbps bit rate for music downloads.

Music downloads vs. Music subscriptions

Some music download services are exactly that -- you pay a dollar or less for a song and download it to your computer. You now own that song, which you can burn to a CD or transfer to a portable music player. Depending on where you bought the song, there might be a limit to how many times you can copy the song to another computer or burn it to a CD.

Most online music services also offer a monthly music subscription that allows you to essentially "rent" music. Services like Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go and Napster To Go let you choose an unlimited amount of music from their catalogs, which you can listen to on your computer or download to a compatible MP3 player. If you cancel your subscription, however, you lose access to that music. Napster has a service that lets you download music from its catalog to a PC for free, but the catch is that you can only listen to the same song three times. Reviewers generally like these music subscription services, which allow you to sample a wide variety of music at a relatively low cost.

Other musical genres

One problem with music download sites in general is that they're largely geared to the mainstream tastes of those who use these services, mainly young adults ranging in age from 15 to 30. That's why the latest top-40 hit from Fergie will instantly be available on every music download website, while you may have a hard time scrounging up even one acceptable rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony or a particular Thelonious Monk track.

Reviewers say iTunes has recently intensified its commitment to classical music. While classical has always been part of the iTunes mix, Apple has added some exclusive performances from the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. We've read nothing but praise for the iTunes music library, which contains over three million tracks. Reviews say you can find an excellent selection of indie music at iTunes, in addition to more mainstream titles. Jazz and world music is also well represented.

Wal-Mart, perhaps not surprisingly, does not even have a classical music section. "If you're looking for extreme indie, obscure jazz or classical, you can pretty much forget Wal-Mart's digital music service," says ExtremeTech.com's Don Salvator. His search on the jazz pianist Hampton Hawes found three tracks from two compilation albums, but no solo albums, compared with Napster's nine solo albums and iTunes' 15.

In its November 2006 roundup of eight music sites, UK-based Which? magazine included two services devoted to classical music, eClassical.com and Classical.com. Classical.com, the bigger of the two, features over 120,000 recordings -- the majority of them classical, but also some world and jazz music. A basic subscription (*est. $12 per month) gets you unlimited listening on a PC from their catalog, plus eight downloads. Clearly, this site doesn't have the multi-million-track breadth of Napster or iTunes, but it looks like a good deal if you're a fan of classical or jazz music.

Important Considerations: Music downloads

The biggest frustration when choosing a music service is that your music player could essentially determine which online venue you can use. All digital audio players (including iPods) can play MP3 files, but if you use media files encoded in a DRM-protected format, such as Windows WMA or Apple's AAC, your media player will be able to play those files only if it has appropriate support built in.

• For iPod owners, iTunes is your best option. Other services may have some limited compatibility; for example, non-DRM-protected MP3 files downloaded from eMusic or Wal-Mart can be played on an iPod, but not WMA files downloaded from most other services. In addition, the iPod won't work with any music streamed via a subscription service like Napster To Go or Yahoo! Music Unlimited. Music compatibility issues might change if Apple chooses to relax its format restrictions on the iPod, but there's no sign of that happening in the immediate future.

• Take note of the digital rights management (DRM) policies associated with each service. These are the controls placed on a file that affect the number of computers to which the file can be transferred, the number of times a track can be burned to a CD and the number of times it can be uploaded to a portable media device. For example, whereas iTunes allows users unlimited CD burns, Wal-Mart's WMA files limits users to ten burns.

• Try before you subscribe. All subscription services give you a free trial period, so be sure to check them out before sending your credit-card number. Peruse the catalogs and check out your specific areas of interest. You'll likely be satisfied by any site's selection of alternative rock or top-40, but if your tastes run to jazz or classical, do some sample searches and see what comes up.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of picks	Model (file format)	Estimated price
10	Napster (WMA)	99¢ per track, $10 monthly subscription, $15 monthly Napster To Go, free limited PC streaming
9	Rhapsody (WMA)	89¢ or 99¢ per track, $13 monthly PC streaming, $15 monthly Rhapsody To Go
8	iTunes (AAC)	99¢ per track
7	Yahoo! Music Unlimited/MusicMatch (WMA)	99¢ per track (subscribers pay 79¢), $72 yearly PC streaming, $144 yearly Yahoo! Unlimited To Go subscription
5	Wal-Mart (WMA)	88¢ per track for WMA files, 94¢ per track for MP3 files, albums in WMA and MP3 format available (price varies by number of tracks)
3	eMusic (MP3)	$10 monthly for 30 tracks, $15 monthly for 50 tracks, $20 monthly for 75 tracks
1 each	Sony Connect (ATRAC3), AllofMP3.com (multiformat), Classical.com, eClassical.com

If you own an Apple iPod, reviews say most will be happiest with iTunes despite that service's lack of a subscription plan. For others, reviews say that Napster provides lots of musical content and good usability. Yahoo! Music has now expanded its library by merging with MusicMatch, but we've seen some complaints about the interface. It does stand out as a bargain for those who want a subscription service. eMusic is also low cost, and is a great place for content from indie labels and emerging artists, as well as for classical music; but those looking for mainstream fare will likely be disappointed.

We found very good reviews for Rhapsody, especially for ease of use and an excellent search interface. Be aware, however, that Rhapsody is joining with MTV's Urge and Verizon to offer a new service called Rhapsody America. Details aren't yet available.

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