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General discussion

So help me. I hate ITunes, so where do I go?

Jan 23, 2006 2:02PM PST

I really am unhappy with the IPod/Itunes service. I need to be able to buy music online for my (not Ipod) player, but I'm not sure what the best sites (other than Itunes) might be.

Can anyone share their experience? I would rather not only be allowed to buy mp3s (since there are better quality methods)So where are the best selection of usable file types? Best selection of music? Best price? Subscription vs pay per song?

Whatever info you have would be great.

Thanks. I'm just tired of seeing so many Ipods absolutely everywhere.

Discussion is locked

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A couple of suggestions...
Jan 23, 2006 3:08PM PST

Hey, I don't have a whole lot of experience downloading music, but I have a few options for you. Windows media player has built-in connections to several music download sites, including Napster, MusicMatch, MSN Music, and Wal-Mart music. In Windows Media Player 10, you can just look in the top right corner of the player, you should see the MSN butterfly with a small arrow next to it. Just click the arrow to bring up a list of sites. Each has their advantages and disadvantages, I know that Wal-Mart music is $0.88 per song, while everywhere else is usually $0.99. If you're looking for a subscription service, try Napster. Best Buy has a good variety of starter packs for Napster on sale in their stores.

Another suggestion that I have if you're interested in purchasing entire albums is www.yourmusic.com. They sell actual CDs instead of digital albums. Every CD on their site is just $5.99 with free shipping (except multi-disc sets). They have a HUGE selection, as long as the CD has been out for at least 3 or 4 months, they probabaly have it in stock.

Anyway, that's about all I got, I hope that helps! Good luck.


P.S. CNet has a nice resource center for digital music services on the site. You can find it here:

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7899_1-6304020-4.html?tag=nav

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Re: So help me. I hate ITunes, so where do I go?
Jan 24, 2006 4:41AM PST

I use a wide variety of services. I like Rhapsody, Napster, and www.musicnow.com the best for regular and ''to go'' subscriptions. I think Rhapsody has the best catalog.
When I buy individual files to download and keep, I think Emusic and Audio Lunchbox are the best because they are .mp3's and are easier to copy/burn/etc. as opposed to proprietary files like .wma which have limitations.