Technology Tuesday/Web Wednesday Archive

[2008 NOTE: Prices below are from 2004 and have certainly changed]

There are several factors to address when looking at the currently booming world of online music. These include:

• Store Models
• Music Formats
• Technical Considerations
• Costs
• Major Players/Vendors

Store Models

There are two major options for online music consumers: buying music and “renting” music

Buying	“Renting”
No monthly fee Per track fee Per album fee Use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) to limit number of computers and/or CDs for the songs	Monthly fee Listen while connected to internet or while a subscriber Often also have a per track fee for download

Music File Formats

MP3	Windows Media Audio (WMA)	Advance Audio Coding (AAC-MP4)
Open standard Plays on many portable players Few, if any, restrictions	Requires Windows Media Player  Can convert non restricted WMA to other formats DRM Restrictions can be applied (copyright protection)	AAC/M4P only on iPods Other players can play AAC DRM Restrictions can be applied (copyright protection)

Other Technical Considerations

Encoding Rate: the rate of information collected when the
music file is created. The higher the rate, the more information is
saved with the file. This translates to better quality and also larger
file size. Larger file size means longer download time and fewer songs
in your portable player.

Digital Rights Management (DRM): Provides a means of
copyright protection. You are purchasing the right to listen to the
song but not the right use the song however you see fit or to share it
with others. Common DRM practices include limiting the number of 
computers that can play a purchased song and limiting the number of
times a specific playlist or song can be burned to a CD.

Personal Considerations

Before you make a decision on buying music, you must think about how much money you want to spend and other factors like

• Your computer operating system: not every music service works with every OS

• Type of listener/music consumer: do you just want a song or
  two or to get copies of songs you have on record and/or cassette or do
  you want to listen to lots of new, emerging artists

• Portability needs: Do you have a portable player like an
  iPod, Rio, Palm or other device? Will the service provides songs in a
  format that you can play?

• Encoding rates: If you are an audiophile, the higher rate
  will sound better. If you just want music to hear while you are running
  or traveling, the increased rate might not be necessary.

Service	Format	Encoding Rate	Prices/Service/Notes
iTunes	AAC with DRM	128 kb/s	$.99/ song & $9.99/album Limit of 3 computers/10 CD burns of playlist Requires iTunes
Rhapsody from Real	AAC with DRM	192 kb/s	$.99/ song & $9.99/album Limit of 3 computers/10 CD burns of playlist Real Player 10 Music store… $.99/song Limit of 5 computers/5 CD burns of playlist Requires RealPlayer 10
Napster	WMA with DRM	??	Napster…$9.95/month & 20% discount on track purchases; can listen to all tracks you like and collect on 3 PCs for offline listening. Napster Light…$.99/track for purchase only Requires Napster and Windows Media Player
Wal-Mart	WMA with DRM	128	$.88/ song Limit of 3 computers/10 CD burns of playlist; no explicit lyrics Requires Window Media Player; optional plug-in for store
emusic	MP3	128	$9.99 /month for 40 downloads – $19.99 for 90 downloads No restrictions More indie bands but smaller overall catalog
MSN Music	WMA with DRM	160	$.99/song  Working on rental program RadioPlus: Ad free streaming radio for $30/year or $5/month Limit of 5 PCs and 7 CD burns of playlist Requires Windows Media Player

Helpful Resources

CNet’s Review of Music Services: http://reviews.cnet.com/4502-9240_7-0.html?tag=dir

iTunes: http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Real Rhapsody: http://www.listen.com

Real Player 10: http://www.real.com

Wal-Mart Music: http://www.walmart.com/music_downloads/introToServices.do

Emusic: http://www.emusic.com

MSN Music: http://music.msn.com