Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

Aug 27, 2004

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One of the key components missing from file sharing as a way to get music is trust. I have no idea whether RockFan1275891 is sending me music or a Trojan horse designed to turn my computer into an infected zombie drone for attacking Google's corporate servers. I can more safely assume a publicly traded company like Yahoo or Microsoft is not going to infect my system with junk (philosophical arguments about the quality of the Windows Operating System aside). As someone who historically averages 1.5 new CDs per month, I'm already paying for music at a minimum of $20 monthly. Subscription services provide access to millions of songs monthly for a lower price.

Audible

I'm including Audible in the list of subscription audio content in spite of their lack of music. Audible is a pioneer in online audio subscription and offers a compelling model for consuming audio books. For $20 per month, Audible provides subscribers with two books each month, archiving purchases in your account for re-download at any point in the future. Audible works with iPods, some Pocket PC and Palm OS devices, a few Smartphones and a long list of portable audio players. The only thing I fault Audible for is unused book credits don't automatically carry over to the next month. If I forget to download a book in June, my account will reflect two book credits in July. If you call customer service, they graciously reinstate unused credits, but this should be automatic.

eMusic

eMusic once offered an unlimited download option for $9.99 per month. Today the same $9.99 includes 40 downloads per month, with 90 downloads available at the $19.99 level. Files are in MP3 format with no DRM, which means they play wherever you want to listen. eMusic tends to sell more obscure independent releases, which makes them great for fans with eclectic tastes, but not so great if you want the latest Britney Spears release.

Napster To Go

Napster made a big splash with their 'Do The Math' campaign, trying to prove that 10,000 songs from iTunes costs $10,000, while the same 10,000 songs from Napster cost a mere $14.99 monthly. I'm not willing to buy into that hype, because the 10,000 songs from iTunes can be burned to CD without any goofy hacks, while Napster requires you to purchase individual tracks burned to CD. At the same time, the 'math' does provide access to virtually every song in the Napster catalog, permitting you to listen to the tracks indefinitely as long as you keep paying the monthly fee. Napster claims to have over 1 Million tracks in the library. It also offers so-called exclusive live performances. The Napster To Go service works either via the standalone Napster player or in conjunction with Windows Media Player 10. One negative to Napster is the DRM licensing frequently times out and requires you to login in multiple times to get everything synchronized. Napster To Go is not compatible with iPods.

Rhapsody To Go

Rhapsody To Go is the music subscription service from Real. The service works just like Napster, only you need to use RealPlayer to sync with your portable music player. Like Napster, Rhapsody To Go boasts a library of 1 Million+ songs. Download as many songs as your hard drive will hold and listen from your PC or on a portable player. Rhapsody offers one of the better DRM licensing interfaces in the collection of subscription services. The service is $14.99 monthly. Depending on where you live, Rhapsody may be marketed as a co-branded offering from the local cable provider. Rhapsody To Go is not iPod compatible.

Yahoo Music Unlimited

Yahoo Music Unlimited offers a library very similar to both Rhapsody and Napster, with 1 Million songs. Pricing is either $6.99 per month or $4.99 monthly if you subscribe for a full year. Beyond a lower price, Yahoo does a few other things that makes their service interesting. Assuming you and one of your Yahoo Messenger buddies are both Y! Music Unlimited subscribers, song sharing between buddies is supported. A second key feature is support for discovering music through other Y! Music Unlimited subscribers. Even if Yahoo raises the price in the future, this is one area where customers may be more loyal to their service over other services because Yahoo is adding value by making it easier to find music through friends and family. Like other subscription services, this is not an iPod compatible offering.

Coming Soon:

In July 2005, MSN Music announced plans to launch a subscription service later this summer. The service will be backed by pressplay, which also provides the subscription engine for Yahoo unlimited. No word yet on pricing for MSN's offering, although it will likely fall in line with Yahoo pricing to remain competitive. In theory, the MSN offering has the best chance for survival among this list of services competing for our attention, since it has the deep pockets and investment in DRM technologies of Microsoft's Windows Client team behind it.

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