Comparison of online music stores

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following table lists online music stores that carry a very wide selection of songs by many record labels and artists. All the stores listed below access passive databases and require access through a computer except for one which accesses and allows downloading through a mobile phone.[citation needed] Only stores that have 1 million songs or will have 1 million songs soon and offer a wide general selection of music are listed below.

Site Selection (approximately) Geographic restrictions Platform Format DRM Preview Trial Other
7digital 3,500,000 songs[1] None Platform Independent for MP3 songs 192 kbit/s MP3, 320 kbit/s MP3, 192 kbit/s AAC, 256 kbit/s AAC, 192 kbit/s WMA Partial WMA only 30 seconds None Podcasting; charts; videos; trailers; audiobooks
GoMusic 2,650,000 songs[2] None Platform Independent 192 kbit/s MP3 No 30 seconds None soundtracks
audiobooks
charts
Amazon MP3 5,000,000 songs U.S. only Platform Independent 256 kbit/s VBR MP3 No 30 seconds None Integration with iTunes software
Amie Street 850,000 songs[3] US and Japan Platform Independent MP3 No 85 seconds[4] Free credit and RECs during signup Ability to earn credit with "REC"s
Audiolunchbox 2,000,000 songs Must have a valid US credit card[5] Platform Independent 192 kbit/s VBR MP3 No 30 seconds free credits for signing up a new subscription account
BuyMusic 1,000,000 songs[6] United States[7] Windows 98 or above, IE 5.01 or above[7] 128 or 256 kbit/s WMA[7] Yes PlaysForSure[7] ? None
eMusic 2,000,000 songs, 100,000 artists, 200,000 albums, 40,000 labels Varies by track Windows 98 or later; Linux; Mac OS 9/X[8] 192 kbit/s VBR MP3[8] No 30 seconds[8] 25 downloads download concerts
iTunes Store 6,000,000 songs[9] United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and select European countries[9] Mac OS X; Windows 2000 or above 128 kbit/s AAC, 256 kbit/s AAC for iTunes Plus Partial, none on iTunes Plus content,[10] FairPlay for rest 30 seconds[11] None Podcasting; charts; videos; movie trailers; audiobooks
MusicGiants 1,000,000 songs, 175,000 artists United States Windows XP or higher, Internet Explorer only WMA Lossless (Minimum CD quality up to 24bit 88 kHz 5.1) Partial - PlaysForSure and non-DRM[12] 30 seconds None Everything is High Definition (CD Quality or Above)[13]
Napster 3,000,000 songs[14] United States, Canada, Germany, Japan and UK[14] Windows/Mac/Linux for MP3s and Web Service; Windows XP/Vista for Software[15] Purchase: 256 kbit/s DRM-free MP3; Subscription: 128 or 192 kbit/s WMA[16] Purchase - DRM-free MP3; Subscription - PlaysForSure[16] Napster subscription-Entire song, unlimited; Napster MP3 Store-30 seconds. 7 days Hi-res album art included
PayPlay.FM 1,900,000 songs[17] None MP3 - Platform Independent, WMA - Windows 98 or higher; Windows Media Player 9 or higher 192 kbit/s MP3 or 192 kbit/s WMA (DRM) per user choice No[18] 30 seconds None 25 Free songs + 1 daily bonus[19]
Puretracks 1,300,000 songs[20] United States and Canada[21] Windows 98 or higher; Windows Media Player 9 or higher[21] 192 kbit/s MP3 [22], WMA[21] Partial, PlaysForSure for majority and none for 50,000 songs[20] 30 seconds[14] None
Rhapsody 4,000,000 songs United States[23] Windows 98 or later, Mac OS X, Linux[23] 128/160/192 kbit/s (depending on subscription) WMA Partial, PlaysForSure for WMA Tracks[24], has DRM-free MP3s[25] 30 seconds 14 days 25 Free streams a month[24]
rVibe 1,500,000 songs None Windows OS 320kps MP3 No 30 seconds Deposit $10, receive 10 free downloads Legal p2p sharing, rewards for selling songs, charitable giving, etc.
Spiralfrog 1,025,000 songs[26] United States and Canada Windows XP or Vista (XP requires Windows Media Player 10 or higher though) 128 kbit/s WMA files, 300 kbit/s streaming video, 1000 kbit/s downloadable videos WMV format (also free) Yes, PlaysForSure ? Not needed (website is supported by selling ad space so downloads are free) Free music video downloads (WMV DRM format) also available.
Walmart Music 1,000,000 songs United States[27] Windows 98 or above, 256 kbit/s MP3 Yes, PlaysForSure 30 seconds None
Yahoo! Music Unlimited 2,000,000 songs[28] United States Windows XP or above, IE 6.0 or above, MusicMatch JukeBox[29] 160 kbit/s WMA[28] Yes, PlaysForSure[28] 30 seconds 7 days Yahoo Music store, Streaming Radio
Zune Marketplace 3,000,000 songs United States[30] Windows XP or higher[31] 192 kbit/s WMA[32] Partial, does not support PlaysForSure,[32] has DRM-free MP3s[33] 30 seconds Podcasts, Music Videos
Site Selection (approximately) Geographic restrictions Platform Format DRM Preview Trial Other

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ 7digital launches iTunes price war - iPod-iPhone - Macworld UK. Retrieved on 2007-12-13.
  2. ^ GoMusic: High quality DRM-free MP3 Downloads. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
  3. ^ Arrington, Michael. "Amazon Helping To Change The Business Of Music", TechCrunch, 2007-12-19. Retrieved on 2007-12-26. 
  4. ^ Cheng, Jacqui. "Amie Street signs major artists to sell DRM-free music", ArsTechnica, 2007-03-07. Retrieved on 2007-03-28. 
  5. ^ "Audio Lunchbox - Need Help Or Want More Info?". Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  6. ^ Visiting BuyMusic at Buy.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
  7. ^ a b c d Visiting BuyMusic at Buy.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  8. ^ a b c Emusic Technical Help. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  9. ^ a b iTunes Store. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
  10. ^ EMI Music launches DRM-free superior sound quality downloads across its entire digital repertoire. EMI (2007-04-02). Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
  11. ^ iTunes Music Store. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
  12. ^ MusicGiants : What is High Definition Music?. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  13. ^ MusicGiants: WMA Lossless Music, DRM-Free. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  14. ^ a b c Napster FAQ. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  15. ^ Compatible Devices. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  16. ^ a b Subscribe to Napster. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  17. ^ PayPlay.FM website. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  18. ^ PayPlay.FM Starts Selling 1,300,000 Tracks of DRM-Free Music. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  19. ^ PayPlay.FM Help. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
  20. ^ a b Nowak, Peter (2007-02-27). Puretracks takes lead in rights fight. Financial Post. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  21. ^ a b c Puretracks 2.0. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  22. ^ "Puretracks.com v2.03 - MP3". Retrieved on 2008-05-29. 
  23. ^ a b Rhapsody Online Help. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  24. ^ a b Rhapsody FAQ. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  25. ^ Rhapsody Teams with Universal Music Group for DRM-Free Music Test. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
  26. ^ Spiralfrog recently launched and is in the process of adding songs. >800,000 are available as of now and when finished it will have >2,000,000 songs including entire Universal Music Group library and >3500 music videos.
  27. ^ Walmart Music Downloads Questions. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  28. ^ a b c Yahoo Music Unlimited. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  29. ^ MMJB User Guide V3. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
  30. ^ Zune FAQs:Sign Up. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  31. ^ Zune Software Release Notes. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
  32. ^ a b Zune Marketplace Review by CNET. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
  33. ^ Microsoft adds to Zune lineup. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.