Legitimate Music Download Sites

[HellBelly]

I'd like to get signed up at a legitimate music download site. Pay as you download or whatever.

What sites out there do you guys recommend that have a good selection and are secure regarding Credit Card info etc..?

Thanks!

[Necron99]

Wal-Mart charges $.88 per song. iTunes charges $.99.

The problem with iTunes is you're locked into Apple's proprietary format unless you burn to CD then rip back off in .mp3, .wav or some other format.

I've bought a bunch of music through iTunes. Seems secure enough. No problems, ever.

Other sites, such as Napster and Yahoo! Music Unlimited, charge a monthly fee.

I'd stay away from Morpheus, Kazaa, Limewire, et.al. You're just inviting trouble by opening up your PC.

Dave

[HellBelly]

Dave,

Great info!

That's what I was worried about, regarding the format.

I want to purchase the song and not be tied into some format I have to convert or burn from thier site. I have the ability to convert it but would rather just purchase the song download in mp3 format and move on with life.

Wal-Mart downloads are like this? Download song to your PC etc..?

[macgyver2]

Other sites, such as Napster and Yahoo! Music Unlimited, charge a monthly fee.
There are some rumors around that iTunes might add a monthly-fee option to their service, too.

I also like Magnatune (http://magnatune.com/). It's excellent if you're not just after the normal, everyday stuff you hear on the common radio stations.

[atomicnuke]

There is also www.emusic.com, right now they are letting you try their service and download 25 songs. You have to supply your CC info for them to verify you are a new user, but they won't charge it. You have two weeks to try the service, if you don'tlike it, cancel the account, keep the 25 songs free.

[Necron99]

I want to purchase the song and not be tied into some format I have to convert or burn from thier site. I have the ability to convert it but would rather just purchase the song download in mp3 format and move on with life.

Wal-Mart downloads are like this? Download song to your PC etc..?

Hmmmmm. Looks like there are more restrictions than I thought. They're in WMA format, not mp3.

Go here for more explanation:
http://www.walmart.com/swap/Help.do?mainCategoryId=441014

You might want to also try mp3.com. I can't get there right now (I'm behind a firewall).

[2notch]

I also like Magnatune (http://magnatune.com/). It's excellent if you're not just after the normal, everyday stuff you hear on the common radio stations.
And all of their 128kbs MP3's are free! Their "pay" versions are suppose to be of better quality.

[HellBelly]

I really appreciate the responses!

I'm going to try Magnatune, becasue the songs i'm after are not played normally so it sounds like this site is a good start.

Scott

[belder]

I've had Rhapsody for years and am very happy with it. Pretty good selection. Found some tunes on there I thought I'd never hear again.
The only down side is the interface will set my speakers by default to "wide"...which I don't like. Outside of that it's a smooth ride.

[dvessel]

I don't think you can go wrong with iTunes. 128KB AAC isn't that bad. I use etymotic er4p canalphones and they sound great. The fairplay DRM is very reasonable IMO and Apple isn't going anywhere soon.

There are plenty of obscure podcasts listed in there also with great music and they're all free. That's all I've been listening to lately. Some nice video casts too.