Online Music Sucks

[andrewducker]

I'd happily pay for online music - if only they had more of the stuff I like.

A quick search shows that I can't track down any Covenant, VNV Nation, etc. on Napster or iTunes. The Magnolia Soundtrack is likewise unavailable, and almost anything I search for that isn't enirely mainstream has huge gaps.

I'm not paying to subscribe to a service that doesn't...provide service.

Oh, and iTunes doesn't provide the one service I actually want - music streaming. With Napster £10 a month gives me streaming access to as much music as I like - with iTunes £10 a month gives me 11 new songs a month. No real contest there.

Comments

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

actually, we sort of like being tied in... I have iPods of course, being a fully paid-up Apple Cultist (and how), though I don't use Apple's headphones with them.

AAC is an open format, of course, unlike WMA, but if you buy from the ITMS, it's tied down with a DRM layer on top. I just bought my first ever iTunes songs yesterday (Lemon Jelly EP) because I got a £10 iTunes voucher free with a recent purchase. I haven't yet decided what to get with the other £7 or so though.

Have you looked at eMusic? eMu sells actual MP3s, none of this DRM stuff, and it sells a great deal more of the sort of music I like than any of the other download services. That might be because I have weird tastes. It's subscription; the cheapest sub is $10 a month for 40 tracks.

[allorin.livejournal.com]

I don't really have anything against DRM.

What I would like, is the option (not just from iTunes, but anywhere), to download in the format I want, in the bitrate I want.

What is undeniable, though, is that mp3 is (currently) far more portable than aac, and as far as 'portable' music goes, portability is my no. 1 priority... ;+)

I do listen to mp3 on my PC, but my entire CD collection sits on shelves directly behind me. My primary reason for song compression is to have them available to me when I'm *not* in my house.