On-line music stores

[Random]

So, no opinion on Rhapsody (or Best Buy Digital Music Store)?

[GeckoGeek]

Originally Posted by Random

So, no opinion on Rhapsody

Unless I'm getting my services confused, that's more like a custom radio station.

[Frankie's Market]

Originally Posted by GeckoGeek

Unless I'm getting my services confused, that's more like a custom radio station.

It has continuous music channels. However, you can purchase MP3s there, which would definitely make Rhapsody a store, right?

Or am I missing something????

Ironically, the earlier concern you expressed about finding a store where one can hear the whole song before purchasing is addressed by Rhapsody. Y'see, with a Rhapsody membership, you have unlimited access to Rhapsody's catalog to listen to on your PC, or even on a portable MP3 player if you upgrade to the "Rhapsody To Go" membership. That way, you can listen to an entire song/album before making the decision to purchase.

There's a couple of catches, tho. First off, the memberships aren't free as there's a fee. But starting at $13 a month, it is far from being outrageous when you consider the sheer amount of music you have access to. And even if that is too rich for your blood, you can still listen up to 25 songs of your choice per month as a non-member for free.

The other catch only applies if you have an iPod. Basically, the Rhapsody To Go service is not compatible with any iPod. (There might be hacks out there that address this. But officially, Apple does not support the Rhapsody service on their devices.) Of course, if you purchase any song from Rhapsody as an MP3, it can be loaded and played on your iPod.

[mel]

The cost of some digital music tracks at both Amazon.com and Apple's iTunes store have gone up today to $1.29 each!!

[Barry]

I haven't been on Oahu for three years but when I was there I bought a few DVD's from Tunes. I paid with my debit Visa Card and what a mistake to make ! Not a day goes by that I don't get and email advert from Tunes. How can they do that ? I never gave them my email addy. Do they track it down throught the long number on the card ? Who knows ! No biggy but a bit of a nuisance,,,,,, like big brother is watching you from 11,000 miles away.

[johmbolaya]

Originally Posted by Barry

I haven't been on Oahu for three years but when I was there I bought a few DVD's from Tunes. I paid with my debit Visa Card and what a mistake to make ! Not a day goes by that I don't get and email advert from Tunes. How can they do that ? I never gave them my email addy. Do they track it down throught the long number on the card ? Who knows ! No biggy but a bit of a nuisance,,,,,, like big brother is watching you from 11,000 miles away.

Sometimes websites like that will have malware or spybots, and that can lead to the discovery of your e-mail address.

[NemesisVex]

Let me mention Lala.com as another option.

Lala has a number of really interesting features. The first listen of any album or song is free. After the first listen, you can opt to buy a digital download or a "web song" or "web album". The web albums/songs cost a fraction of the full price and can only be played through Lala.com. Lala also has a pretty extensive major label selection, similar to Amazon MP3, and the independent label selection also seems to mirror eMusic.

Lala also has a desktop uploader. You can match songs already in your music collection with songs offered by Lala, then listen to them through the web site. The matching algorithms are spotty, but it's neat way to make your collection available if you ever forget your portable player.

I use Lala as a way to preview albums before I decide whether to buy them. I usually go to eMusic for indie stuff, and Lala for major labels.