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What Is Your Favorite Music-Download Source?

Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 19, 2011

Lately, I've been asking about your media-streaming preferences, and the results have been very interesting. Now, I'd like to ask about downloading music files to your own media server. Of course, there are many sources for downloadable music, and I can't possibly list them all here. Also, some provide low-resolution MP3s, while others offer high-rez uncompressed files.

Do you download music files? If so, what is your favorite source? Do you download mostly MP3s or high-rez files? As always, I'm especially interested in learning what service you use if you select "Other."

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

What Is Your Favorite Music-Download Source?
Amazon
14% (137 votes)
B&W Society of Sound
1% (10 votes)
eMusic
1% (6 votes)
HDTracks
8% (75 votes)
iTrax
1% (7 votes)
iTunes
38% (363 votes)
Linn Records
0% (4 votes)
Naim Label
0% (0 votes)
Napster
3% (25 votes)
Rhapsody
2% (22 votes)
Other
11% (102 votes)
I don't download music
22% (208 votes)
Total votes: 959

COMMENTS
notabadname's picture
Submitted by notabadname on August 21, 2011 - 5:45pm

Been an all iTunes download-guy since they premiered. Great catalogue now, and it, combined with the one-stop shopping for my iPad and iPhone Apps make it a nice and unified place to purchase.

BigMac's picture
Submitted by BigMac on August 21, 2011 - 7:00pm

I have an iPhone but usually get my songs from Amazon. Yes, the price on both iTunes and Amazon can be the same but 8/10 times the price is cheaper on Amazon. Why people pay more for the same song is foolish!

You get the same high-quality recordings with wider compatibility with MP3 players usually for less money on Amazon.

Colin Robertson's picture
Submitted by Colin Robertson on August 22, 2011 - 12:38am

I use iTunes for the breadth of it's catalog and the seamless nature it works across my PC and iPhone.

That said, the iTunes application needs a real overhaul here soon, and more importantly, it needs high-res and loss-less music available for download.

Why use iTunes over Amazon when Amazon is less expensive? AAC sounds that much better than mp3.

notabadname's picture
Submitted by notabadname on August 22, 2011 - 6:18am

The price difference in music is generally so negligible between iTunes and Amazon, I find it unimportant as a differentiator. If I buy five songs per month on iTunes that cost $0.30 more than on Amazon, I still haven't even come out behind by as much as a $2.00 cup of Starbucks.

I agree with Colin, above, that AAC sounds considerably better than an mp3 at any comparable bit-rate or file size. (this fact has been tested by numerous audiophile pubs and sites) Plus the iTunes Store makes it easy to automatically sync your purchased music on multiple devices. Buy the song on my laptop, and next time I use my Desktop or iPhone, they each will automatically download the newest purchases with no syncing or transfer in the new Apple OS, Lion. And frankly, I wouldn't waste my money on any other mp3/digital music player anyway, so cross-platform compatibility doesn't matter to me.

Better sounding music encodes, better store with automatic syncing across (Apple) devices, same consolidated store and billing for Apps and Movies as well. Nothing "foolish" about it.

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