Music download sites

D

DevilsAdvocate

First time out of the vault
...I mean, LEGAL music download sites.

Here's the deal: Gift-giving holidays are coming up, and I have this friend that spends a lot of time listening to new music (different artists/genres/etc.) What I want to do is get my friend a no-commitment gift of 30 songs or so from one of the many legal music download sites that are available. But information on these sites is lackluster at best, and woefully incomplete or completely inaccurate ("You can download your music in the awesome WMA format!") Actually, the music sites themselves try so hard to get you to sign up for a free trial that they don't even BOTHER saying much about their service. So, here are the criteria that need to be filled (some rules can be bent, others can't):

1. Pay per song - You only pay for the songs you download, as opposed to $10-$20 (American) a month for "unlimited" downloads. And you can buy credit for songs, as opposed to paying when you download them.

2. No credit card required - I'm far too young to get entangled in THAT kind of usury.

3. Linux compatibility - The entire deal must be Linux-compatible: if there is proprietary software, there must be a Linux option (or it can function under WINE), and the file format must be able to work in a Linux player. This is bendable, though: I'm pretty sure I saw a "Windows 98" entry under LILO that just MAY still work.

4. Portable player/burning capability - The music must be able to be burned as well as be in a format capable of being converted into a format that can play in a portable player of some type. The portable player part is bendable, but it HAS to be burnable.

5. Local copy - You must be able to save a copy on your hard drive (none of this streaming business).

So, anybody know of any sites out there that fit the bill? Even a site that comes close would still be useful.
 
Well, if you can bend the rule of needing proprietary software that doesn't run under Linux, then the iTunes Music Store is probably the best option, but it requires iTunes to be able to download the songs, and iTunes only works under Windows and MacOS.
 
Hey, thanks! How on earth did I totally skip over iTunes when I was researching? So far I like what I'm reading about it, but I'd still go with Linux-compatible if at all possible (if there were any ACC audio players for Linux, I would be sold).
 
I seem to remember hearing positive stories about iTunes under WINE. could be worth a shot if you really want.


And if you mean AAC then these may help.

http://www.xmms.org/plugins.php?details=74
http://www.xmms.org/plugins.php?details=50

remember however that itunes has DRM packaged AAC which wont work with other players other than the iPod or iTunes. I believe that you're in violation of certain end-user agreements if you remove the DRM with software from such sites as http://hymn-project.org/ or with playfair, there is a question about removing the DRM being allowed by fair-use rights as a consumer however I haven't met anyone who's actually rang up their local customs/consumer rights office and asked. I suggest you do so first if you are thinking of stripping out the DRM of the audio files.

Frankly most big/well known online download music stores are DRM crippled and are less open and cross-compatible than Apple's iTunes unless you use illegal foreign online download music stores such as allofmp3

Hope that was helpful.
 
Thanks for your help. It appears that most sites that offer downloads come with such restrictive licenses that you are barely even able to listen to the music you pay for. It's kind of discouraging for those that try and take the legal route; I'm really under the impression that whenever I pay for something, I can use it however is convenient for ME, not the people that sell it. I'll give iTunes a shot; the worst that can happen is that I'll be out a couple of bucks and my friend'll have a crappy gift (even though, when your job description is "Guy who does stuff", a couple of bucks is a lot).
 
Ring your local government office who deals with such things and ask what you can and can't do and what is covered by fair use and consumer rights. What's the worst that could happen?

A step up from that would be an actual lawyer/solicitor but that costs I believe. Some of your various government departments and offices should be able to tell you and you lose nothing.

You may also want to ask about the legality of purchasing from allofmp3 but I'm fairly sure that it is illegal to buy from that site without being in Russia.
 
Just buy your friend a crowbar. That way he can break into a record store in the middle of the night and snatch whatever CDs he wants. That's a lot easier than looking for a suitable site, downloading all that music, and then burning it.
 
DevilsAdvocate said:
Thanks for your help. It appears that most sites that offer downloads come with such restrictive licenses that you are barely even able to listen to the music you pay for. It's kind of discouraging for those that try and take the legal route; I'm really under the impression that whenever I pay for something, I can use it however is convenient for ME, not the people that sell it. I'll give iTunes a shot; the worst that can happen is that I'll be out a couple of bucks and my friend'll have a crappy gift (even though, when your job description is "Guy who does stuff", a couple of bucks is a lot).
Click to expand...

www.boycottriaa.com

Do what Voluptuous Pachyderm said, call your local government office. I am fed up with how the music industry treats consumers. We are very restricted.
 
DevilsAdvocate said:
It's kind of discouraging for those that try and take the legal route; I'm really under the impression that whenever I pay for something, I can use it however is convenient for ME, not the people that sell it.
Click to expand...
Yes, considering how easy it is to download illegally, they really should be making it easier for consumers, not harder. I have come across a few sites that are fairly easy to use, Netmusic springs to mind, but it is kinda limited and I've only really used it once.
There are also some record companies that offer legal downloads without the obligation to use poorly made or user unfriendly software, but they don't really fit the bill either.
It's a great shame that groups like the RIAA are making it harder to download (both legally and illegally), because I find it perfect to "test drive" music before I buy it.
 
Big_T_UK said:
It's a great shame that groups like the RIAA are making it harder to download (both legally and illegally), because I find it perfect to "test drive" music before I buy it.
Click to expand...

I know a lot of flak is, justifiably, thrown at the RIAA. I suspect that in this case it isn't really the RIAA that's the major problem.
 
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