Subscription Services

Of course, one of the most convenient and worry-free ways to get music onto your player is through a paid service. However, considering that you're paying for them, some online music retailers could stand to make things easier for you than they do. Here are a few potential downsides and "gotchas" to look out for when dealing with a paid music subscription service:

• You do not always "own" a copy of the music. It usually has strings attached via lossy compression, DRM, or being tethered to your subscription membership.
• Lack of cross-system support. Almost all support Windows, a handful support Apple and Linux. Users of non-Windows systems will be not at all surprised to discover that their systems are supported only grudgingly, although at least the music industry is waking up to the idea of a non-monopolized computing world.
• Most only use one or two file formats, which possibly won't be compatible with your player. Check first to be sure.
• Geographical restrictions, such as being only available in the UK, US, or AU.
• Label restrictions. Some retailers are affiliated with certain brands, media conglomerates, etc., and individual artists, labels, and companies form and break up alliances or animosities at the drop of a legal filing.

But with that in mind, if you have everything lined up, subscription services can be very sweet. They have systems in place to find the music you want faster, their file's meta-data will be consistent, and being a paid service, they are at least expected to be accountable to their customers. Not to mention that you are in the free and clear as far as copyright law is concerned.

So, here's a breakdown of the major online music retailers:

7digital - Based:UK Catalog:3,500,000 - Formats:MP3, AAC, WMA

One of the oldest in the UK, having been launched in 2004. Has exclusive deals with many major artists and labels, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Warner Music, and SonyBMG. Also has an "Indiestore" launched in 2006, where unsigned artists and independent labels can share their tunes for free. One of the services that seems to "get it" about DRM and tries to avoid it when it can, only having it in WMA files.


Amazon - Based:US & UK Catalog:5,000,000 - Formats:MP3

With one of the largest song catalogs, support for all three of Windows, OS X, and Linux (in Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and Suse, even!), high bitrate files, and no DRM left to speak of, Amazon is running for the online music retailer popularity contest. They really, really want to do it right! Extensive support is the name of the game, including Windows Media Player, iTunes, Android T-Mobile G1, and even Palm OS.


Amie Street - Based:US Catalog:850,000 songs - Formats:MP3

An independent-only retailer, so the catalog is tiny, but with fewer restrictions, such that most of their downloads are geography and platform independent.


eMusic - Based:US Catalog:2,000,000 - Formats:MP3

A "kosher" retailer who has refused DRM and insisted on non-restrictive file formats and cross-platform support for Windows, OS X, and Linux, eMusic is a true rebel - who has ticked off the big music industry labels. So they focus on indies, undergrounds, classical, and niche genres. If you're a rebel with or without a cause, they'll love you.


iMesh - Based:US and Israel Catalog:4,000,000 - Formats:MP3, WMA

iMesh is one of the file-sharing client/ music store hybrids. Along with their standard catalog of music for sale, users can also upload, download and trade free music, so count another 15,000,000 files there, giving them the hypothetical highest catalog in the world. The downside: some of their WMA subscriptions have PlaysForSure, a word which tends to make digital music fans run away screaming. Purchased files are MP3, user-shared files can be anything at all.


iTunes - Based:US Catalog:8,000,000 - Formats:AAC

The giant, the behemoth, the legend, the elder eldritch entity, the pinnacle. Needs no introduction from us. While they are US-based, they geographically support most of the industrialized world.


Napster - Based:US Catalog:7,000,000 - Formats:MP3, WMA

Can you believe they're still kicking after all their drama? Napster, whose origins lie in the shadiest of shady file-sharing, went on to be bought by big corporations and today survives as a music service to rival iTunes. Purchased music is DRM-free MP3, subscriptions are PlaysForSure WMA. There's no denying that Naoster was the pioneer, with a salty history going back to 1999. With Napster came the first time the public had heard terms like "P2P" and "RIAA".


Puretracks - Based:Canada Catalog:1,300,000 - Formats:MP3, WMA

They are just beginning to shake off the ravages of DRM. Most of their catalog if still haunted by the dread specter of PlaysForSure. They are available in Canada and the US, support Windows only, and they have the keen, musky smell of a company that's going to get bought out very soon.


Rhapsody - Based:US Catalog:5,000,000 - Formats:WMA, MP3

Rhapsody is the spawn of RealNetworks, makers of RealPlayer. Windows users who had to take a crowbar and cutting torch to pry the RealPlayer spamware out of their taskbar back in the 1990s will understand that this is one company which does what it damn well pleases regardless of its customer's feelings. So: Helix for DRM. Supports Windows, OS X, and Linux. United States only.


Vodafone - Based:UK Catalog:1,000,000 - Formats:WMA, AAC

Vodafone itself is a huge mobile telecommunications network company, owning a 45% stake in the US's Verizon Wireless, and spreading over the globe in coverage of various services. By comparison, their music service is almost an afterthought. Vodafone Music is available in Europe, Africa, and Australia, supports the Windows platform only, and uses full DRM on all of its services.


Zune Marketplace - Based:US Catalog:4,000,000 - Formats:WMA, MP3

As iTunes is to Apple, Zune is to Microsoft. So only supports Windows platform, of course, and uses DRM and then there's the famous stinging irony that Zunes do not support PlaysForSure. Like Apple iTunes, needs no introduction from us. If you're used to putting up with Microsoft, you know what to expect.