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Where to buy music
by Stephen Elliot
18.12.06 |
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There’s no denying that the iTunes Music Store has a vast and incredibly varied library of music and, at 79 pence (or 99 cents) per track, it’s also relatively inexpensive, but there are also plenty of other options for digital downloaders.
If you’re looking for chart material, then the chances are that you’ll find it on the iTunes Store, as it’s heavily supported by not only the major record labels, but also the majority of the independent ones, too. If you are looking for something a little more eclectic though, or just feel that you might get a better deal elsewhere, then time spent researching other music download services could well reward you with a bargain.
If you’re a fan of Dance music, then you could do a lot worse than check out Bleep (image 1). They’ve got a pretty large library, and although individual tracks will set you back 99p, you can buy whole albums from £6.99. Best of all though, there’s none of that DRM nonsense, and songs are recorded at a much higher bitrate for near-perfect sound quality.
American Indie music fans will find a lot to love at Audio Lunchbox. You can buy your tracks or albums either by just purchasing them individually, or if you plan on being a frequent visitor to the site you can sign up for one of the many subscription plans on offer. Take a closer look around the site’s genres though, and it reveals plenty of alternative downloads, from spoken word documentaries and Eddie Izzard stand-up routines to Christian Rock.
Another good Indie site is Into Music. The range isn’t staggering and the songs aren’t always recorded at a high bitrate, but they do have some interesting bands in their library and there are plenty of free downloads if you take the time to explore the site.
If you buy a lot of music, then eMusic may well be the site for you (image 2). The site’s available for US, UK or European buyers, and gives you the option to sign up for a range of monthly subscriptions. The £8.99 per month one, for example, lets you download (and keep) 40 songs a month, while the Premium service costs you £14.99 but lets you download 90 songs a month – meaning that each download will only cost you just over 16 pence (or around 28 cents). All songs are recorded at 192kbps in the MP3 format and come without any DRM on them.
For something completely different, we recommend that you head to Magnatune (image 3). You probably won’t have heard of most of the artists here, as Magnatune is a label rather than a store, but its unique way of doing business could be a blueprint that others will eventually follow. You start by picking an artist to find out more about and then you’re given the option to stream their whole album (or, in some cases, download free music videos). When you’ve decided that you want to buy the album, you literally get to pick the amount you’re willing to pay for it – which can be anything from $5 to $18. But, best of all, the artist gets 50% of all royalties.
THE BEST OF THE REST
But it’s impossible to cover everything in such a small space. We haven’t talked about Wippit and their great subscription offers and freebies (which now includes movies), the fine selection of Dance music that’s available at Trax2Burn or the ingenious Fair Trade music store at Calabash Music. The further you stray from the iTunes Store, the more original and interesting music you’ll find. It takes is a bit of patience and plenty of time, but we promise that you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.
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1. Whichever site you head to for your music downloads, make sure that you explore it thoroughly as most of them offer free songs or videos. |
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2. We’ve only really scraped the surface of what’s on offer, so we recommend typing ‘online digital music stores’ into Google – you’re sure to find a site that offers you exactly what you’re looking for. |
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