Comparison of online music stores

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of online music stores. Please see the individual articles for each store for further information. This article is not all-inclusive or necessarily up-to-date.

Contents

[edit] General Music Stores

The following table lists online music stores that carry a very wide selection of songs by many record labelsand artists. Only stores that carry over 1 million songs and offer a wide general selection of music are listed below.

Site Selection Geographic Restrictions Pricing (price/audio in USD) Platform Format DRM Preview Trial Other
AllofMp3 ? None ~0.03/Mb of song Platform Independent MP3, FLAC, OGG, AAC, WAV, WMA, MPC, APE, OFT No ? ? the legality of AllofMp3 is currently controversial
Audio Lunchbox >2,000,000 songs, >5,000 labels [1] Need valid US credit card [2] 0.99/song flat or priced by credits; monthly subscription plans 40 credits mo/9.99, 125 credits mo/24.99; yearly subscription plans [3] Platform independent [2] 192 kbps VBR MP3 [2] No[2] 30 seconds None. 50 free credits upon subscription
BuyMusic >1,000,000 songs [4] United States [5] 0.79-0.99/song, 9.99/album [5] Windows 98 or above, IE 5.01 or above [5] 128 or 192 kbps WMA [5] Yes PlaysForSure [5] ? None
Emusic >2,000,000 songs, >100,000 artists, >200,000 albums, >35,000 labels Varies by track. Monthly subscription; 9.99/30 songs a mo, 14.99/50 songs a mo, 19.99/75 songs a mo [6] Windows 98 or later; linux; Mac OS 9/X [7] 192 kbps VBR MP3 [7] No 30 seconds [7] 25 downloads download concerts
iTunes >3,500,000 songs [8] ? 0.99/song usually 9.99/album [9]; varies by country Mac OS X; Windows 2000 & XP 128 kbps AAC Yes, FairPlay 30 seconds [9] None Podcasting; charts; videos; movie trailers; audiobooks
Musicmatch >1,000,000 song [10] ? subscription[11] 5.99 a mo [10]; 0.99/song to download [10] Windows XP or above, IE 6.0 or above, MusicMatch JukeBox [12] 160 kbps WMA [10] Yes, PlaysForSure [10] 30 seconds 7 days Yahoo Music store, Streaming Radio
Napster >3,000,000 songs [13] United States, Canada, Germany, or United Kingdom [13] monthly subscription [11] 9.95, untethered 14.95 [14] Windows 2000 or higher; IE 5.1 or above to subscribe; Windows Media Player 9 or above to transfer to portable music players [15] 128 or 192 kbps WMA [14] Yes, PlaysForSure [14] Entire song 3x [13] 7 days
Puretracks >1,300,000 songs [16] United States and Canada [17] 0.99/song, 9.99/album usually Windows 98 or higher; [Windows Media Player]] 9 or higher [17] WMA [17] Partial, PlaysForSure for majority and none for 50,000 songs [16] 30 seconds [13] None
Rhapsody >3,000,000 songs United States [18] subscription [11] 9.99 per month (unlimited); non-tethered at 14.99; 0.99/song, 0.79 if subscribing [19] Windows 98 or later, Mac OS X, linux [18] 128/160/192 kbps (depending on subscription) WMA Yes, PlaysForSure [19] 30 seconds 14 days 25 Free streams a mo [19]
Sony Connect ? ? ? Windows 2000 or above, IE 6.0 or above [20] ATRAC Yes OpenMG ? ? free PlayStation Portable video downloads
Urge >2,000,000 songs United States [21] subscription [11] 9.99 per mo (unlimited); non-tethered at 14.99; 0.99 a track [21] Windows XP or above, IE 6.0 or above, Windows Media Player 11 or above [21] WMA [21] Yes, PlaysForSure [21] ? 14 days [21]
Walmart Music > 1,000,000 songs United States [22] 0.88/song, album varies [22] Windows 98 or above, IE 6.0 or above, Windows Media Player 9 or above [23] 128 kbps WMA [23] Yes, PlaysForSure [23] 30 seconds None
Zune Marketplace >2,000,000 songs United States[24] subscription[11] 14.99 a mo or ~0.99/song Windows XP or higher [25] 192 kbps WMA [26] Yes, (not PlaysForSure) [26] 30 seconds None.

[edit] Boutique/Specialized Music Stores

Some music stores have begun to stock less songs in favor of better serving a specific demographic. These stores cater to people interested in specific genres or ideals such as open music. The following table lists some of these niche music stores.

Site Catalog Selection Geographic Restrictions Pricing (price/audio in USD) Platform Format DRM Preview Trial Other
Ambient.us 32 labels Ambient music ? 9-11/album Platform independent 320 kbps MP3 No [27] 30 seconds None
Amie Street ? Independent music ? depends on popularity - free-0.98/song [28] Platform independent [28] depends on what artist uploads No[28] 1 minute None
Audible.com >35,000 titles Audiobooks ? By book or monthly/yearly subscription; 14.95/1 a mo, 22.95/2 a mo, 229.50/24 year Platform independent 4 quality levels .aa Yes Can't convert to MP3, can burn to CD once ~10 minutes per sample One month Includes magazine subscriptions
Beatport >350,000 artists, >67,000 albums, >49,000 labels [29] Electronic music Varies by track [30] Varies but usually between 1.49 - 2.49 a song Platform independent 320 kbps MP3, 192 kbps VBR MP4, or WAV. No ~2 minutes None
Bleep.com >4,000 artists Electronic and indie-rock music None 1.35/song; 9.99/album [31] Platform independent [31] 320 kbps VBR MP3, FLAC [31] No [31] Entire song in 30 second intervals [31] None
Calabash music >95,000 songs, >2,000 labels International music Varies by track [32] 0.99/song when bought one at a time, 0.80/song when buying 10 songs, 0.75/song when buying 20 songs[33] Platform Independent [34] 160 or 192 kbps MP3 [35] No [35] 1 minute None
classical.com >64,000 songs[36] Mostly classical music, with some jazz and international[37] ? Varies by song. 0.99-1.49/song, monthly subscription 8 songs a month for 11.99 a mo, yearly subscription 8 songs a mo for 115 a year[37] Platform Independent [37] 128 or 192 kbps MP3 or WMA [38] No [37] 1 minute [37] 15 day trial [37]
djdownload >95,000 songs, >2,000 labels Dance music Varies by track [39] Varies by quality and song. Usually ~ 2.00 for 192 kbps and 0.50 higher for 320 kbps version. Platform Independent [39] 192 or 320 kbps MP3[39] No 1 minute None
eclassical ? Classical music ? Varies by song. 0.49-0.79/song[38] Platform Independent [38] 192 kbps MP3[38] No [38] ~30 seconds None
Fonogenic >45 artists [40] Hand-picked music[41] ? 0.99/song or 9.99/album Platform Independent 192 kbps MP3 [41] No 30 seconds None
Insound ? Independent music ? 3-9.99/album Platform Independent [42] 192 kbps MP3 [42] No [42] None None
Magnatune 7507 songs, 240 artists, 525 albums [43] Hand-picked music [44] None [45] User chooses; $5-18 album [46] Platform Independent 44k/16 bit WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC, VBR MP3, 128 kbps MP3 [47] No Entire song [48] None 128 kbps MP3 licensed under the CC-SA-NC license [49]
Mindawn ? Independent and experimental music None [50] FLAC: 1.24/every 10 minutes of song or less, 8.99/album; Ogg: 0.99/10 minutes of song or less, 6.99/ album [50] Windows, Mac OSX, Linux [50] OGG, FLAC [50] No [50] Entire song [50] None
MusicGiants >400 artists, >1700 albums High bitrate music United States [51] 1.29/song, ~15/album [51] Windows, IE 6.0 or above, Windows Media Player 10 or above [51] 1100 WMA [51] Yes PlaysForSure [51] 30 seconds None
Smithsonian Global Sound ? International music None [52] 0.99 for up to 5 minute songs, 1.49 for 5-15 minute songs, 3.49 for songs over 15 minutes[50] Windows 97 or above, Mac OS X, linux [52] MP3, FLAC [52] No 30 seconds [50] None
Zunior >40 labels Canadian independent music Varies by track [53] 8.99/album in MP3, 10.99/album in FLAC [53] Platform independent [53] 192 kbps MP3, FLAC [53] No [53] 35 seconds [53] None

[edit] References and Notes

  1. ^ Browse By Label. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d Audio Lunchbox Help. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  3. ^ Audio Lunchbox Registration. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  4. ^ Visiting BuyMusic at Buy.com. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c d e Visiting BuyMusic at Buy.com. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  6. ^ Emusic FAQ. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c Emusic Technical Help. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  8. ^ iTunes Store. Retrieved on Error: invalid time.
  9. ^ a b iTunes Music Store. Retrieved on Error: invalid time.
  10. ^ a b c d e Musicmatch Jukebox. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  11. ^ a b c d e Music expires and doesn't work when subscription ends unless the song is bought individually.
  12. ^ MMJB User Guide V3. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  13. ^ a b c d Napster FAQ. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  14. ^ a b c Subscribe to Napster. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  15. ^ Compatible Devices. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  16. ^ a b Nowak, Peter (2007-02-27). Puretracks takes lead in rights fight. Financial Post. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  17. ^ a b c Puretracks 2.0. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  18. ^ a b Rhapsody Online Help. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  19. ^ a b c Rhapsody FAQ. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  20. ^ Experience CONNECT Music. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  21. ^ a b c d e f URGE FAQ. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  22. ^ a b Walmart Music Downloads Questions. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  23. ^ a b c Technical Requirements. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  24. ^ Zune FAQs:Sign Up. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  25. ^ Zune Software Release Notes. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  26. ^ a b Zune Marketplace Review by CNET. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  27. ^ Ambient.us: How it Works. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
  28. ^ a b c Amie Street FAQ. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  29. ^ Beatport 3.0. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
  30. ^ Beatport Forums:Territories. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
  31. ^ a b c d e Bleep FAQ. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
  32. ^ Why do certain songs disappear?. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  33. ^ Pricing and Payment Terms. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  34. ^ How do I download?. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  35. ^ a b What can I do with tracks?. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  36. ^ Classical Subscription. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  37. ^ a b c d e f Classical FAQ. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  38. ^ a b c d e Why choose elcassical?. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  39. ^ a b c djdownload FAQ. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
  40. ^ Artists. Retrieved on March 20, 2007.
  41. ^ a b About Fonogenic. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  42. ^ a b c Insounds Digial Album FAQ. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  43. ^ Magnatune Stats. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  44. ^ Magnatune Stats. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  45. ^ International. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  46. ^ The Business Model. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  47. ^ Download Example. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  48. ^ Why we are Not Evil!. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  49. ^ Open Music. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g h Mindawn Customer FAQ. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
  51. ^ a b c d e Music Giants FAQ. Retrieved on March 19, 2007.
  52. ^ a b c Smithsonian Global Sound Customer Support. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.
  53. ^ a b c d e f Zunior FAQ. Retrieved on March 18, 2007.

[edit] External Links

music stores based on bitrate, format, DRM, genre and cost of Music stores by Tech Crunch of Music Subscriptions by Tech Crunch of susic subscriptions by Extreme Tech of major music online stores by CNET of major music online stores by Digital Trends of major music online stores by About.com of major music online stores by USAToday

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