Online music
download services are
a relatively new concept that is catching like wildfire.
Many people
have stopped buying CDs and gone completely digital. They like
having the ability to download individual songs on demand and the low
cost option music download services offer.
Many
companies have joined the digital music revolution and begun offering
cheaper options. A recent development is the monthly music
download service where customers can download music for a bulk price. Napster and Rhapsody
are the largest of these.
I've been trying all the music services I can find. I've got the breakdown and comparisons so you can decide which download services are best for your money. Below are the top companies, their costs and features.
To see FAQ about music download services go here.
* Click on a music service to see
detailed review
| Napster | Rhapsody | mTraks | Emusic | iTunes | Amie St. | Amazon MP3 | |
| Song Price | $0.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 | N/A |
$0.99 | $0-$0.99 | $0.99 |
| Monthly Plans | $5.00 | $12.99 - $14.99 | $9.99 - $19.99 | $11.99 - $19.99 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| The Fine Print | If you cancel, you lose access to some downloads | If you cancel, you lose access to some downloads. | Mostly Independent Labels | Indepedent labels only | Restrictive M4P song format | Mostly independant labels | N/A |
| Songs Available | 6 million | 5 million | 800,000+ | 4 million | Unknown | 1.5 million | 6 million |
| DRM (Limitations) | Complex terms mean you don't always own songs | None on individually purchased tracks | None | None | Usually limited to computer song was downloaded on | None | None |
| Burn to CD? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Own Songs? | 5 songs per month | With extra purchase | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Download to MP3 Player? | Yes, with "to-go" service | Yes, with "to-go" service | Yes | Yes | Only iPods | Yes | Yes |
| Special Offers | 10 extra songs with 1-year | 14-Day Free Trial | 14-Day Free Trial & 30 Songs | 7-Day Free Trial | None | None | None |
| Website | See Here | See Here | See Here | See Here | See Here | See Here | See Here |
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#1 Pick: Napster
Click for detailed review of Napster
# of songs
- 6 million
Song format - WMA
Monthly price - $5
- Listen to whole tracks before purchasing them. Unlimited streaming music for one monthly price and get access to all 6 million songs.
- Bigger list of songs than most music services; by about a million songs.
- Unlimited listening. You can play to as much music as you want as long as you're a member plus 5 free downloads per month to keep.
- Song format is .wma so it works on tons of other stuff, not just on their software.
Try it for free here:
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#2 Pick: Rhapsody
Click for detailed review of Rhapsody
# of songs
- 5 million
Song format - .rax
Monthly price - $12.99
Price per song - $0.99
- Free trial for 14 days. You have to enter your credit card but if you don't like it you can cancel before the trial is up and you won't be charged anything.
- The software is great for use as your default player. It's higher quality than some of the others and searching is really easy.
- Unlimited music downloads. You can download and get as much music as you want as long as you're a member.
Try it for free here:
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#3 Pick: mTraks
Click for detailed review of Mtraks
# of songs
- 900,000+
Song format - MP3
Monthly price - $9.99
Price per song - Depends on plan
- 30 Free downloads and 2 week trial for new sign-ups. The free songs are yours to keep forever, even if you change your mind after sign up.
- Music service that lets you to burn to a CD and copy downloads to an
- unlimited number of computers and MP3 players.
- Fast growing music library with music downloads from many major artists and some harder to find genres.
Try it for free here: