Buying MP3s?

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J

Jiarn

I'd like to support some of my favorite artists and buy some mp3s. Where would you all recommend best?

Itunes? Amazon?

I don't have a smartphone yet, but when I do, it'll be a DROID X. For now I use a Sansa Clip mp3 to take my music with me. Not sure how this info will help but I figure it might.

My biggest concern is how the re-downloading works when officially purchasing mp3s.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Buy them from anywhere that remembers. Then if you have to repurchase you can either download from history or torrent them without guilt.
 
J

Jiarn

Really? I thought it had a remembered system.

What about Amazon?

Another reason I prefer to purchase mp3s, is the quality tends to be better 9/10 times than the downloaded ones.
 
drifter

drifter

I don't think the Sansa Clip plays AAC files, which is the format you get from Itunes. If you can wait until you get your new Droid X (which does support AAC) that may not matter much.

Personally I like Amazon, but that's mostly because I dislike using Itunes. AAC is supposed to be higher quality than MP3, but they are both encoded at 256 kbps. That's a pretty high bitrate, so unless you're using $100+ headphones and have golden ears, you're probably not going to hear any difference in audio quality.

Amazon also does not allow re-downloading, same as Itunes. I think that's pretty standard with the large download sites. Some smaller sites allow re-downloading, but they're also more expensive.

Walmart actually has a music download site as well. I've never used it, but some of the single tracks are pretty cheap at $0.64. Might be a good place to stock up on older singles. Bitrate is either 256 or 192
 
drifter

drifter

Well, I've never had to re-download any music from Amazon. I just checked the website regarding their policy, which states:

Can I download another copy of my MP3 files after the initial purchase?

Your Amazon MP3 Music purchases can only be downloaded once. After you have successfully downloaded the file to your computer at the time of purchase, we recommend that you create a backup copy.

We are currently unable to replace any purchased files that you delete or lose due to a system or disk error. If you encounter a problem with an MP3 file immediately after purchase, please click the Customer Service button in the Contact Us box in the right-hand column of this page so we can determine how to help you.
Click to expand...
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

I went to my Downloader, and then to past Digital orders to see myself. I remember having to re-download the Wall-E soundtrack after one crash and it allowed me. There was a Download link next to the CD title.

It's gone now, and the Downloader seems to have shrunk. So... that kind of sucks; I'd really moved to Amazon because of re-downloading and never noticed they'd changed it. Or maybe something messed up when I re-downloaded the CD.

Yeah, that really sucks :/.
 
R

Reboneer

If you buy from iTunes (as well as most digital music stores), the artist gets about 5-10c per 99c song, tops. If you actually want to support the artists, this isn't the way to do it.
 
CynicismKills

CynicismKills

iTunes has a protection on songs that makes them unplayable in any program but iTunes, so I've stopped buying from them since I want to swap over to WinAmp as my music player.
 
D

Dusty668

I went to anything but itunes, and use a second backup drive. I find the 5.00 album options in Amazon to be a good deal too.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

CynicismKills said:
iTunes has a protection on songs that makes them unplayable in any program but iTunes, so I've stopped buying from them since I want to swap over to WinAmp as my music player.
Click to expand...
This is patently false. I can play my soundtrack to Young Frankenstien The Musical on any player, as it just comes out as normal MP3s.

As for re-downloads... most websites will give you a SINGLE redownload of any purchase you've bought if you've lost them in a crash. I really suggest you burn your music after you buy it.
 
drifter

drifter

AshburnerX;428049][QUOTE=CynicismKills said:
iTunes has a protection on songs that makes them unplayable in any program but iTunes, so I've stopped buying from them since I want to swap over to WinAmp as my music player.
Click to expand...
This is patently false. I can play my soundtrack to Young Frankenstien The Musical on any player, as it just comes out as normal MP3s.[/QUOTE]

This is patently false ;)
Music bought through iTunes are AAC files, although nowadays the DRM is no longer included. Whether your player can handle that format is another matter.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

drifter;428102][QUOTE=AshburnerX;428049][QUOTE=CynicismKills said:
iTunes has a protection on songs that makes them unplayable in any program but iTunes, so I've stopped buying from them since I want to swap over to WinAmp as my music player.
Click to expand...
This is patently false. I can play my soundtrack to Young Frankenstien The Musical on any player, as it just comes out as normal MP3s.[/QUOTE]

This is patently false ;)
Music bought through iTunes are AAC files, although nowadays the DRM is no longer included. Whether your player can handle that format is another matter.[/QUOTE]

I think most audio players have updated to play AAC then or something. I'm listening to a soundtrack I downloaded from iTunes less than 4 months ago on Winamp, so clearly it works at least.
 
Sparhawk

Sparhawk

AshburnerX;428136][QUOTE=drifter;428102][QUOTE=AshburnerX;428049][QUOTE=CynicismKills said:
iTunes has a protection on songs that makes them unplayable in any program but iTunes, so I've stopped buying from them since I want to swap over to WinAmp as my music player.
Click to expand...
This is patently false. I can play my soundtrack to Young Frankenstien The Musical on any player, as it just comes out as normal MP3s.[/QUOTE]

This is patently false ;)
Music bought through iTunes are AAC files, although nowadays the DRM is no longer included. Whether your player can handle that format is another matter.[/QUOTE]

I think most audio players have updated to play AAC then or something. I'm listening to a soundtrack I downloaded from iTunes less than 4 months ago on Winamp, so clearly it works at least.[/QUOTE]

I just back up albums that I buy off iTunes on a CD and load them into my WinAmp. I've put about 2000 songs on my Sansa by lowering the bitrate, since I'm only listening to it from a portable cd player,higher bitrate doesn't do me much good.
 
CynicismKills

CynicismKills

It went into effect sometime recently, I think, as I have some iTunes songs that play fine, but some that don't. I had looked it up at one time, but honestly I don't remember the details off the top of my head anymore.

Edit: Looked it up again, yeah it's AAC files or iTMS or something.
 
J

Jiarn

I think my problem comes from not being able to pirate good quality mp3s.

I'd still like to buy the song for the support.

---------- Post added at 10:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 PM ----------

I guess whoever neg repped me, completely missed the part that it's only done after I purchase a product as back-up.

Thanks though, for assuming.
 
J

Jiarn

I don't mind "fun" neg rep.

Giving a neg rep for a completely wrong reason though? That I'm gonna make mention of.
 
Null

Null

I don't use a portable CD player either. I have the stereo I got when I was 15, and the computer.

I don't know if my cellphone plays mp3s or not. I don't think so.
 
Null

Null

When I'm on the road, I listen to whatever radio stations my car radio can receive (usually WZZO 95.1 FM). Otherwise, I do without.
 
CynicismKills

CynicismKills

I can't remember the last time I used the radio. I have a huge stack of CD's both bought and burned, though, in my center console in my car.
 
LittleSin

LittleSin

Null;428431][QUOTE=CynicismKills said:
I can't remember the last time I used the radio. I have a huge stack of CD's both bought and burned, though, in my center console in my car.
Click to expand...
I don't have a CD player in my car. I wouldn't use it enough to be worth getting one either, honestly.[/QUOTE]

I don't know why b ut Im now picturing a grey car with a grey interior. You wearing a grey suit as you drive down a barren highway on a cloudy, sunless day. Your eyes gaze at the horizon, unblinking as you listen to people complain via talk radio shows.

I don't think this is how you actually are. This is just the picture that is inspired in my minds eye when I think of someone that has no use for a car CD player OR an MP3 player.
 
Null

Null

It's tan, actually, but your idea made me laugh.

Truth is, I have no air conditioning in this car, so I ride with the windows down. That means that unless I blast the speakers, I'm not going to hear too much. In the winter, the heater needs to go way up, so again, too much air noise to be worth investing in a sound system. Hopefully the next car will have at least working AC and a CD player.
 
Baerdog

Baerdog

Null said:
It's tan, actually, but your idea made me laugh.

Truth is, I have no air conditioning in this car, so I ride with the windows down. That means that unless I blast the speakers, I'm not going to hear too much. In the winter, the heater needs to go way up, so again, too much air noise to be worth investing in a sound system. Hopefully the next car will have at least working AC and a CD player.
Click to expand...
I can't even fathom this kind of Hell.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
My legs were hacked off and poorly healed with dirty bandages, so I have to lie on my belly and drag my infected, bleeding stumps up a hot sidewalk and across a six lane intersection every day to get to work... and back.
 
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