Music Downloads Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Music Downloads. See our ratings criteria

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Music Downloads Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Music Downloads Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Music Sites Editors of PC Magazine As of Sept. 2007		PC Magazine's editors continually review and rate pay-per-song and subscription-based music download services, and links to those reviews and other music download articles can be found on this landing page. 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. Among music subscription services, Napster emerges as the best. Apple's iTunes also ranks well, but the lack of a subscription service keeps it "one key step away from greatness." eMusic has an interesting "subscribe-to-purchase model" and the tracks are free from DRM copy protection, but the library is light when it comes to mainstream artists.

Music Downloads Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Music Downloads Ratings Comments on Reviews

2. CNet.com	Understanding on-the-go music subscription services Jasmine France and Troy Dreier Feb. 5, 2007		In this article, CNet.com compares four subscription-based music download services. The article does a good job in summarizing pros and cons of each, comparing catalogs (at the time of writing) and other content, listing compatible MP3 players and reporting on use issues, such as download times and more. Links lead readers to individual reviews that include objective ratings, but some are a little dated.
3. AFBAccessWorld.com	Can You Get the Music? A Review of Music Download Sites Janet Ingber July 2006		AFBAccessWorld.com is a website for blind and visually impaired people, but all readers will find this thorough article informative. Janet Ingber signs up for five online music services -- eMusic, Rhapsody, Napster, Wal-Mart and iTunes -- and evaluates each for breadth of selection, ease of use and customer support. She says Napster is best, with a wide assortment of current music from major labels, but cautions that it can be difficult to set up.
4. Information Week	Review Roundup: Five Music Subscription Services Challenge iTunes David Haskin Feb. 22, 2006		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 Yahoo! Music Unlimited also have strong catalogs, Haskin says, but their software is awkward.

Music Downloads Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Music Downloads Ratings Comments on Reviews

5. TechCrunch.com	Let's Buy Some Music, Part 1 Frank Gruber Apr. 7, 2006		In this comparative review, Gruber tries out eight music services with pay-per-download options, including Napster, Rhapsody and iTunes. His top choice is AllofMP3.com, a Russia-based site that is currently on hiatus. Of the rest, Gruber praises Rhapsody for its selection of current songs and "clean" interface, but says BuyMusic (at 79¢ per song) is better for price-sensitive customers. While this review does a good job of comparing services, discussion is a little on the thin side.
6. TechCrunch.com	Subscription Music Services Compared: Part 2 Frank Gruber Apr. 11, 2006		In the second part of his roundup, Gruber focuses on music sites that offer monthly subscriptions. His top choice is Virgin Digital (which has since been folded into Napster), but he says Yahoo! is cheapest and Rhapsody offers the most intuitive user interface.
7. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Buying Guide: Online Music Services Rick Broida Nov. 29, 2006		In this article, PC Magazine's Rick Broida does a good job weighing the pros and cons of subscription music sites. On the downside, you have to buy songs outright in order to burn them onto a CD, and once your subscription lapses, so does your access to downloaded songs. On the plus side, however, you can potentially sample thousands of releases. His two favorite services are Music Now (since merged into Napster), which requires no client software, and Napster, which accepts PayPal and has a big library.
8. Gizmodo	iTunes vs. Zune Software: What's Right For Your Music? Jason Chen Nov. 15, 2006		Reviewer Jason Chen looks at the Zune Marketplace, Microsoft's mandatory music download service for its Zune MP3 player, and compares it to Apple's iTunes. He rates the two services about equally, noting that iTunes has more content but the Zune Marketplace has a subscription plan. He adds, however, that iTunes users would have a problem making the switch to Zune, and that Mac users can't use the service at all.
9. Which.co.uk >> Details/Subscribe	Music Download Sites Editors of Which.co.uk Nov. 2, 2006		Which? -- the British equivalent of Consumer Reports -- tests six 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 Tesco Download -- the music from which won't play on iPods -- followed by the British version of Napster (Napster.co.uk), which is praised for its "broad range of music and good-quality downloads." Note that due to copyright laws, many of the sites reviewed here can only be used from within the UK, 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.

Music Downloads Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Music Downloads Ratings Comments on Reviews

10. Digital Trends.com	Music Download Services Compared Chris Nickson Oct. 4, 2005		Chris Nickson says that, in many cases, there's not a great deal of difference between major sites' music libraries, so his ratings criteria are more about interface and copyright policies. He says Yahoo! Music Unlimited and Wal-Mart are the cheapest options, if you want downloads from the top-40 charts.
11. Extreme Tech.com	Which Online Music Service is Best? Dave Salvator Apr. 8, 2005		ExtremeTech.com looks into the pricing, bit-rate, file format and DRM technology of nine leading music sites. Dave Salvator also explores some of these sites' less-quantifiable attributes, including which services specialize in less-mainstream genres or styles. Generally, he thinks iTunes is great for its extensive catalog, sharing and streaming capabilities, but is hobbled by its proprietary format. Services that use WMA, like MSN Music, have more flexibility. Of fixed-fee download services, MusicMatch (now folded into Yahoo! Music Unlimited) and Napster have the most complete catalogs. We'd rate this review much more highly if it were more recent.
12. Dev Articles	Online Music Showdown John Aubrey Jan. 10, 2005		Aubrey looks at four music download services that have "bubbled to the top." He details what iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody and AllofMP3 have to offer, coming to the conclusion that "each store tailors itself to a different type of consumer." He recommends Napster as a good all-around solution. This is another review we'd rank higher if it were more recent.
13. About.com	Buying Digital Music Online - Overview of Popular Music Services Editors of About.com Not Dated		About.com provides a direct comparison of the "most popular and well-stocked music services," via a table that lists the file format, bit rate, download method, pricing, DRM policies and catalog size. Links from this page lead to in-depth profiles for iTunes and Napster. Unfortunately, the information is outdated and it doesn't appear that the services were tested[F1] [D2] .

Music Downloads Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Music Downloads Ratings Comments on Reviews

14. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Cell phone music services Editors of Consumer Reports May 2006		In this lengthy article, editors discuss services that let you download music into your cell phone, concluding that this music costs more and doesn't sound as good as tunes you'd buy from a regular online music store. Three services are reviewed, but not rated.
15. Top Ten Reviews.com	2007 Music Download Report Editors of Top10Reviews.com Not Dated		This is a convenient place to find most of the major online music sites compared side-by-side, with the major caveat that the listings aren't as updated as the "2007" tag would have you believe (for example, the top-rated site here is MusicMatch, which has since been folded into Yahoo! Music Unlimited). Strangely, Napster isn't included on this chart, which makes one wonder just how old -- or useful -- this chart really is.