DescentBB

I just got an ipod shuffle (for work), and want to buy some music online, however I dont want to buy it from itunes. I like having my music in .mp3 format, and I dont mind converting to itunes format, tho I DO mind converting it from itunes to .mp3 (breaking the protection etc).

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good site to buy music from? Keep in mind that I dont want to do this on a monthly basis, just buy a couple of songs now and then.

Thanks!

RM

I don't believe there's a legal way to purchase music in MP3 format. You can buy the CDs online and then rip them at home.

A friend of mine swears by eMusic, although it is subscription based and doesn't carry the most popular bands.

This is a situation that I feel, given a couple years, could eventually resolve itself. It is the Wal-Mart effect. With both Apple and Microsoft pushing the record industry to relent on DRM, and digital sales of music through these outlines exploding in popularity, the seller will become the one who dictates the terms, not the vendor.

Well, allofmp3.com is back so you can always use that.

So I'm curious....with all of the audiophiles here on the dbb, are most using itunes and it's proprietary music format for their ipods? and if you want to make a music cd for your car, etc, are you just cracking the protection of the format?

--I held off getting an ipod all this time just cause I didnt want to deal with the proprietary format of apple--mp3 is just so much more versatile.

There are ways to convert out of Apple's format. I reason I have iTunes is much the same reason I have an iPod - there is a critical mass of users around the product. As such, there are tons of free and open source programs and converters related to it. I don't honestly think the iPod is the best media player out there - but there are advantages to using a product millions of others are also using.

Audophiles don't use iTunes. No way. Outside the little earbuds of an iPod, iTunes' quality simply can't cut it. No online store will give you good quality recordings. They charge you as if you bought the full quality wav file, however.

AllOfMP3 has wav files of songs you can then set a real bitrate (variable) and make your mp3 for the car. If not, it has 320vbr in various formats which is 2x the quality of the best iTunes garbage. 320vbr is just under half-cd quality on the curve. The only problem is it's standing with the RIAA criminals.

For absolute legality and quality, buy the CD on Overstock.com or something.

So why get an iPod in the first place? Get a Sansa or a Creative. They don't care what you put on them, they will play it. Why chain yourself to the overhyped, overpriced mainstream?

ReadyMan wrote:So I'm curious....with all of the audiophiles here on the dbb, are most using itunes and it's proprietary music format for their ipods? and if you want to make a music cd for your car, etc, are you just cracking the protection of the format?

--I held off getting an ipod all this time just cause I didnt want to deal with the proprietary format of apple--mp3 is just so much more versatile.

Honestly, I just buy CDs, as you can play them, burn them to your computer, and add them to your mp3 player.

Dakatsu wrote:

ReadyMan wrote:So I'm curious....with all of the audiophiles here on the dbb, are most using itunes and it's proprietary music format for their ipods? and if you want to make a music cd for your car, etc, are you just cracking the protection of the format?

--I held off getting an ipod all this time just cause I didnt want to deal with the proprietary format of apple--mp3 is just so much more versatile.

Honestly, I just buy CDs, as you can play them, burn them to your computer, and add them to your mp3 player.

Go to ebay. Its even cheaper!

gomusic.ru or mp3search.ru

Have you tried Walmart? I order a custom CD with the songs I want then I make ogg files for my computer.

Thwart, that's a great idea. do you do that online, or at the store itself?

Right online at www.walmart.com. Select entertainment->music->custom cd. Spread the word. I want them to keep doing this.

So why get an iPod in the first place? Get a Sansa or a Creative. They don't care what you put on them, they will play it.

What do you mean? The iPod also plays .mp3, .wav, .m4a ... the only things it doesn't play is ogg and WMA.

Pandora wrote:

So why get an iPod in the first place? Get a Sansa or a Creative. They don't care what you put on them, they will play it.

What do you mean? The iPod also plays .mp3, .wav, .m4a ... the only things it doesn't play is ogg and WMA.

I think what they are getting at is you need to use a program like iTunes to import the music to the player were some devices just appear as a disk drive and you can just copy the music files over to it in what ever format you like.

Pandora, do a search for problems with iPods and music. You'll get a few million hits. Do another search for any other (well, not the Zune) player and you'll come up empty. There aren't built-in artificial corporate restrictions in the rest of the world of players (except Zune, that thing makes the iPod look feasible)

Steve Jobs is not your friend

iPhone, iPod, same garbage, different name. This is what I'm talking about. Why would you buy a product from a company that acts like this?

(Cue MS Software complaint...while valid, there's no viable choice for most there)

First choice is AllOfMP3.com, which can now also be accessed at mp3sparks.com. Second would be Amazon's new download service. DRM-Free 256kbps VBR MP3s. Still not as good as setting your own format from allofmp3, but better than iTunes.

I didn't feel like reading the whole thread so forgive me if this has been mentioned already. I heard on NPR this morning that Amazon is going to start selling music content on line. I think they are selling individual songs like iTunes but the pricing structure is going to be different. The file format wasn't mentioned. You may want to check that out.

thanks for all the suggestions!

Why not get whatever file you want... if its the worng format... convert it...

Conversion loses quality.

The Internet Archive has music you can D/L free. It's legal, the bands have given permission for this. The catch is that a lot of it is live-miked, as such the quality can vary. Most files are available in ogg, vbr mp3, and some in 64k mp3. Some pages also have a streaming option for preview.

i don't buy music anymore. It makes me feel like i have a record company exec in my basement that i descend the stairs and torture every now and again - and i like that feeling.

a lot

I'm so old I actually remember records and 8 track tapes.
Heck, my grandfather had a reel to reel machine that we played with when I was a kid.

So far I've purchased all of my music on CD (or record, or tape...) I Decided to take the plunge and try the new amazon mp3 store.

There are about 10 Weird Al songs that I'd like to own. Unfortunately, they are scattered on about 8 CD's, and I didn't want to buy that many! So, 10 bucks for 10 mp3's sounded just great.

No luck. Weird Al is apparently not on one of the labels that Amazon carries.

If you're not a Walmart-hater...

You'll find decent rates at their online store, though not all tracks are available in MP3 yet.