For those new to legal music download services, we put this section together with some helpful information to help you decide which type of service best suits your needs. Check out our FAQ section for more helpful info.
There are 2 main types of legal music download services; subscription and pay-per-song. In a nutshell, with a subscription service, for a monthly fee you can discover loads of music and listen to anything you want off of their catalogues which usually includes millions of songs while a pay-per-song service will sell you a downloadable version of the song or album you want.
Pay-Per-Song Services:
A Pay-Per-Song service is exactly that, you only pay when you want to download a song. There is no subscription or monthly fees. We are currently comparing 2 pay per song services; ITunes, and Amazon MP3.
Prices will vary depending on the service, the DRM encryption (Digital Rights Managed - limits how many times a song can be burned or transfered) and the type and quality of the file. For example, a song at Buy in WMA format with DRM encryption and at a standard quality (128kbps) or high quality (256kbps) can run as low as $0.79. At ITunes, the same song with DRM encryption and at standard quality (128kbps) can be $0.99 however their DRM encryption may give different limitations. At a higher quality (256kbps) and without DRM encryption, the same song can go for $1.39, however, it will have no limits as far as how many times you can transfer or burn the song. For the best prices and with no limitations on downloads, we suggest Amazon MP3 as files in MP3 format do not have any DRM encryption.
Amazon MP3, for the moment, has a larger selection compared to iTunes, and overall better prices with a file format that can be transfered to practically all portable music players and burning software.
For anyone downloading an album from time to time, or under 10 individual songs / month, a pay-per-song service is probably the way to go.
Subscription Services:
Subscription services generally allow you unlimited access to their library of millions of songs giving you the opportunity to listen to anything you want, as often and whenever you want off of your computer. These tunes reside on your PC for as long as you remain a member. Once you discontinue your membership, the files will no longer be accessible.
Most of the subscription services offer great CD quality, commercial free stations to discover some great new music. Some provide the option of paying a few dollars more a month to be able to transfer the songs to a compatible portable music device without having to purchase each song so you can take the music everywhere you go.
As a paying member, you can listen to anything you want but can not burn these songs to CD’s. To do so, or to keep songs after you end your membership, you will have to purchase a copy of each individual song. Non-members can usually pay-per-song without being a member for roughly $1 a song. As a paying member, you will usually get a 10%-20% discount on song purchases so as low as $0.79 per song.
We are currently comparing the 2 big names in subscription services with the above features; Rhapsody, and Napster. eMusic is also a subscription service however works a little differently. You pay a fixed price a month which allows you to download a set number of songs. Every month your account is reloaded with the appropriate number of downloads allowed. They only provide music from artists signed to independent labels however which still includes some awesome music, but not the more commercial songs you may be used to hearing off of the major radio stations. Songs through EMusic can run as low as $0.27 per song.
Subscription services are great for music lovers who listen to loads of music and want to discover great new tunes without having to purchase albums all the time, or paying per song. A lot of people will only listen to music at their computers or their portable music devices so these services will save you big bucks and provide a huge selection of music. For those who still like to burn CD’s either of their favourite tunes from different bands or full albums, a subscription service can still be very beneficial as you get great rates on song and album downloads and can prevue practically every song and album out on the market before purchasing the entire thing to realize it’s not what you expected.