Re: Rhapsody

On May 30, 8:09 pm, Another Cleveland Guy <jgib...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On May 30, 5:05 pm, carv...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:



I've bought some tunes from Amazon and definitely would buy there
before iTunes. I believe Amazon has 256 kbps MP3s, which is good (I
don't know the equivalencies, but WMA or AAC in a lower bit rate have
the same quality as higher bit rate MP3s, but 256 is pretty good, plus
no DRM).

Rhapsody subscription uses WMA, not Real's proprietary codec and,
while you have to install the software to download tunes, you can play
them back with WMP or Songbird (a very cool open source music player).
Also, as I've pointed out before, you CAN copy Rhapsody files to your
MP3, just as long as it isn't an iPod.

The way I look at it, I spend $15/month on Rhapsody and listen to
probably 4-500 songs per month. I'd get about 15 songs from Amazon or
iTunes. Of course, I'd own them, but what does that mean? That I can
play the stuff I own as much as I want. Well I can do that with
Rhapsody as well, as long as I pay $15/month. Yes, if I stop paying
Rhapsody, I can't listen to the stuff in their catalog, but I've
received the enjoyment of listening to the music while I did pay. As
I've said before, every time I want to see a movie I don't go out and
buy the DVD (or the VHS tape first and then replace it with the DVD
and now replace it with a Blu Ray, etc etc). I go to the theatre (if I
want the highest quality experience (think CD), or I rent the DVD from
Netflix for a monthly subscription amount, or I use UnBox or live
streaming from Netflix or cable. When I'm done I've had some enjoyment
(or not). If I'm a Netflix member and I like the movie a lot, I keep
it and watch it again or send it back and request it a month later to
watch it again. Why not do this with music?

Nick

On May 30, 3:21 pm, "Chickenhead"

<kuNOrtSPAMshapTHANK...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Go Amazon! Amazon's music download service rocks. Huge catalog, no
subscription, no spyware, no funky foreign sites, no proprietary
media-organizing-data-mining-crapware installation required to play or buy
the music.

I'm not a fan of Real Networks' stuff, including their proprietary format
and spyware. There's also something annoying and overcompressed about the
sound of those Real Audio format files too.

I keep up my e-music subscription to support a good cause and company, but
these days I just buy and download most everything from Amazon -- It's about
a buck a tune, doesn't require installation of any proprietary player,
program or spyware, and comes in the universally portable .mp3 format.

Right now, Amazon seems to be working the best for me: Their catalog is
huge and I can almost always find what I'm looking for. Often I have to
learn a song for a client or a gig, and I can't find the original recording
on e-music. iTunes wants to take over my computer and mine data to "phone
home" with. iTunes wants me to install their invasive Quick Time crap to
play the files. Rhapsody requires its own invasive player, wants a
subscription fee, and their audio format sounds crappy too. Neither lets me
put the tune onto my .mp3 player nor makes it easy to share a copy if I need
to. Screw 'em both.

I used to have to go to illegal Russky sites just to get the tunes I needed
in a format I could use, but no longer need to thanks to Amazon. Right now,
Amazon's music download service seems to be kicking *** on everyone else.
I'm happy to pay a buck a tune for portable high-quality .mp3's, especially
when I know the artist will be compensated.

"Another Cleveland Guy" <jgib...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:78923d9a-0b1f-4e75-88da-8c8ba6508529@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Does anybody here use the online music service, Rhapsody? I'm thinking
about subscribing to it.

It seems like a good way to get familiar with lots of different
artists without buying a million CDs. You can also search for a tune
and find dozens of different recordings, so it's a good way to get
familiar with new tunes.

I'm not sure how many more CDs I want collecting dust in my house
anymore, and I'm not even sure I want all that clutter on my hard
drive. Maybe the model is to let them store the stuff and pay to
access it.

Whaddaya think?

Jonathan- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I agree. In fact, the only downside I see is the compression/sound
quality issue. But it's a compromise I'm willing to make for the
convenience and access.

I signed up for it today. We'll see how it works out, but so far I'm
liking it.

Jonathan

Another options is Microsoft. The Zune has a marketplace subscription
option which rivals Rhapsody's. Same price, same selection, BUT it
seamlessly connects to your Zune MP3 player. I had nothing but
trouble with Rhapsody's Sansa player.

If you want to take you subscription music with you, buy a Zune and
subscribe to the Zune marketplace. If you just want to access music
tethered to the computer, Rhapsody or Zune are similar.

Erik
.