Amazon MP3 Downloads versus the Apple iTunes Store
I’ve been a loyal Apple iTunes Store music buyer for years and have never really cared that my music had DRM or that it’s in the AAC format. My music worked on my computer via iTunes, on my iPod with headphones or a speaker, on my car stereo with an iPod adapter, and on my TV via Apple TV. What more could I want?
Well, I’ve recently been enjoying listening to what people are putting on Muxtape and am loving audio on Tumblr more than ever with the new Sound Box alpha. But, I now realize that I can’t easily add my own audio to either service.
Most of my audio is DRMed AAC from the iTunes Store. So, unless I want burn CDs and re-rip tracks or use something like Audio Hijack Pro, there’s no way to convert it to an MP3 suitable for streaming on Muxtape or Tumblr. And, while the iTunes Plus audio isn’t DRMed, I would still have to use a third-party application to convert it to MP3 before being able to share it. Painful.
What got me thinking about of this was noticing that Muxtape has started letting users buy audio tracks from the Amazon MP3 Downloads store. I had never given Amazon’s online music offering a spin before today and I’m pretty impressed.
It’s not as easy-to-use or slick as the iTunes Store, but Amazon MP3 Downloads has lots to recommend it. It lets you buy high-quality, DRM-free MP3 tracks at reasonable prices in a web interface and makes it a snap to automatically import the tracks into iTunes or Windows Media Player (yuck!).
After my love affair with the Kindle, I was so enamored with Amazon that I bought its stock. (Sadly, AMZN has pretty much tanked since I got it.) Because of its MP3 format and the lack of DRM, I may be an Amazon MP3 Downloads convert too. If Apple doesn’t cut some non-DRM deals with the other record companies soon, I’m betting a lot of people will be joining me.
