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it won't?

ptervin wrote:

Ten songs. None of them actually sung by Dylan.

OK, can someone explain why this is going to be better than iTunes?

Amazon MP3 just began recently and can only sign on people who agree to have no DRM and lower prices on their songs. Of course they're not going to match iTunes' track selection anytime soon.

Let me start by saying I am a huge music fan AND a fan of iTunes. I have almost 5000 songs in my iTunes library and I have purchased close to 500 items from the iTunes music store over the years.

Having said that, anyone that hasn't tried this needs to check it out immediately. They may not have the same number of songs as iTunes but they have 2 million so far (iTunes has 5 million). Remember that when iTunes started they had less than 1 million so this is a good start. Also, some other points worth mentioning:

1) The songs use MP3 256kbps encoding which is great IMO
2) They have songs available right now that Apple does not have DRM free versions of so they must have a better relationship with the record companies or the record companies are making these deals to piss off Apple
3) You have nothing to lose by purchasing from them since they are DRM-free MP3 files. If the store closes tomorrow you still have your purchases.
4) Their interface is not as nice as iTunes but it is better than any other store I have seen thus far. Their previews also play immediately, which is a step up from iTunes.
5) Some songs are cheaper than on iTunes.
6) When you purchase a song a link file downloads. You double click this link and it launches the Amazon MP3 Downloader application which handle the queueing of downloads and when a file is finishing downloading it is automatically loaded into your iTunes library.
7) They put some thought into this and I think it has a great chance of succeeding if they can increase their number of songs. And even if they don't I will still look here first because of their ease of use and use of the DRM-free MP3 format.

Don't just join the naysayers who haven't even checked out the service and want to bash it because it isn't iTunes. I especially love the original post that bashes it as sucking because it didn't have the music of one artist. If you only listen to one artist and they don't have that artist then it isn't for you but I don't know too many people that only listen to one artist AND purchase their music digitally.

Later,
Frank

I'm a big fan of AAC, and obsessive enough to not want two formats...

MacAddict4Life wrote:

I'm a big fan of AAC, and obsessive enough to not want two formats...

... me too.

frankly wrote:

ActionAttackJohn wrote:

256kbps? What is this, 2002?

What are you talking about??? That is higher than the highest quality that iTunes will import a file as MP3.

Um, I'm pretty sure iTunes will rip CDs into 320kbps MP3s...  I can't double-check at the moment as I'm still at work...

frankly wrote:

Mercury52 wrote:

frankly wrote:

What are you talking about??? That is higher than the highest quality that iTunes will import a file as MP3.

Um, I'm pretty sure iTunes will rip CDs into 320kbps MP3s...  I can't double-check at the moment as I'm still at work...

Yes, it will but that is in the custom settings and has nothing to do with the bitrate that an online store should sell at. Your statement was inane in that you said 256kbps was the going rate in 2002. There is NOT ONE mainstream online store selling their music at a rate even as high as the 256 being offered by Amazon let alone higher. iTunes currently sells their AAC at 128 or 256 if it is available as plus. Now, I know that AAC is a bit better quality than MP3 but a 256kbps MP3 is going to be of better quality than a 128kbps AAC file so your comment was strange.

Frank

Maybe I should start my own online music store. Everything is encoded as EAC/LAME FLAC.

http://daringfireball.net/2007/09/amazon_mp3_downloader

pottymouth wrote:

bratboy wrote:

I'll continue to be a dinosaur and purchase cds, thanks.

No smurf. Used CDs, preferably.

Anybody here not heard of lala.com? Check it out. You trade CDs with other members. Each CD you receive costs you $1 + $.75 s&h. Obviously, it's illegal to get the traded CD, rip it, and then trade it off...you get the picture. They also sell new and used CDs for decent prices. And yeah, you gotta wait for snail mail

I suppose if I'm looking for a disk that for some reason isn't available down the street used or from lala, but IS available at Amazon then $9 for 256k mp3 album might seem like a much better deal than iTunes.

This thread is cracking me up. It seems to be drawing a bunch of people that for whatever reason aren't interested in even checking out the service and comparing it to the current leader, iTunes. Instead, it is filled with posts of people that don't want to buy digital music at all, only want music from a specific artist, didn't bother to even look at Amazon's site, or are obsessive compulsive

I respect everyone's choice to purchase their music however they see fit but I'm still curious to see some opinions from people that are going to check out this new service and give their opinion of the service itself instead of the reasons why they are purchasing music some other way. The reviews I've read online have been very positive and I'm curious to see what the "man on the street" thinks.

Frank

frankly wrote:

This thread is cracking me up.

Likewise.

First of all, I have no need to buy Bob Dylan on Amazon or iTunes. I own every record and CD Dylan ever made. I own multiple copies, in fact. So? I also own a lot of Mozart, too. Big deal. Truth is, I have close to 5000 CDs, closer to 10000 records.

Buying BD wasn't the purpose of my first message. I just thought that Amazon's new service looked interesting so I took a look. I was not conducting a scientific investigation. I happen to like BD so I plugged his name in and got a response. I don't care how representative it may or may not be; I represent just one user searching for one artist. I posted the results. That's all. Nothing more.

Have a hay day!

Cheers,
ptervin...expecting rain

I'll keep an eye on it.  I bought an album tonight.  $9.  Cheaper than iTunes, no DRM, and the whole process was quick and easy.

I still generally prefer to get stuff on CD, and I've gotten the ocassional thing from iTunes.  Depends on what the particular song or album is.

Overall, I think the Amazon store is a good thing.  Lower prices and fewer restrictions are good for consumers.

I've seen on more than one blog that if you put a US address as your billing address on the credit card, it will allow you to purchase.  At least for the time being, Amazon's credit card processing apparently doesn't verify billing addresses.  Give it a whirl.