Amazon.com (reviewed Jan 08)Amazon recently entered the digital download fray. Late to the game, but packing a solid offering backed by the techincal resources of the online giant. The big selling point here is no DRM (rights-protection). That means the downloads can be played on any device, copied to an unlimited number of players or CDs (or friends for that matter). This flexibility alone makes Amazon worth strong consideration.
But that's not all. Amazon under-cuts iTunes on price, with albums at $8.99 or less and top song downloads at $0.89. You'll typically save 10-20% off of iTunes pricing. The downside is selection. Amazon, like everyone else, boasts 2 million+ songs. However, the selection did seem slim compared to all the major download sites. So if your tastes run eclectic, Amazon may not be the end-all source for your digital music, but it can be your first stop.
Downloading is easy - maybe too easy. With 1-click shopping, you may end up, like me, ordering something that you were hoping to just put in your shopping cart. There is a small application to download that helps manage your purchases, but that's it. No need for the "heavy" software applications favored by music subscription sites. If you've already bought something on Amazon, downloading music will look very familiar
Check it out here.
Sony Connect
The only online music service to allow you to download directly to your PSP. Not as complete a catalog as other major services. Sony proprietary encoding – Only use this if you have a PSP or Sony player
Wal-Mart
Just think of all the money you’ll save with that extra 11 cents per download! But the pennies you save don’t make up for the shortcomings, specifically the limited choice with only 400,000 songs and with anything with a parental advisory excluded. Wal-Mart allows you to burn the music to up to 10 CDs, back up to 2 computers and transfer to unlimited portable devices. As long as it’s not an iPod - No iPod support. Weaker interface.
Music Subscription Site Summary - Next >