ITunes & Napster differences

Spiff · Post by **Spiff** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:49 am

I have a question for you iPod/MP3 owners.

What's the difference in iTunes and Napster as far as downloading goes?

My daughter bought an iPod and is wanting to download some new music. We've used Itunes to get a few at .99 each, but I can forsee that getting expensive in the long run. Other than the monthly fee, does Napster charge anything to download music for an ipod or other device?

I ripped the songs for her iPod at 192 afetr reading a few threads around here, and they sound great. Do I download music the same way from Napster's site? As far as I can tell, I'll need to import the music I get from Napster into the iTunes software and then upload to her iPod, right? Once I've downloaded the music from Napster, is there anything else I should know?

I'm just trying to look at the alternatives to iTunes. Don't get me wrong, I love the store and the service, but with her growing music tastes, I can see it getting expensive for her. If the difference is 15.00/month and all the free downlaods she wants, that's going to be ALOT cheaper for her.

Anybody OO music gurus got any free advice for a teenager's father? It'd be much appreciated, at least from me!

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:57 am

AFAIK, the Napster service is very restrictive DRM-wise. The songs only play on the particular device you register and have to be "activated" periodically. If you cancel your subscription, they're gone. However, it still seems to be the right service for a lot of people.

Also, it's easy to transcode the songs and strip the DRM but I don't know if you want to start your daughter on a life of crime.

Mr. Sparkle · Post by **Mr. Sparkle** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 12:11 pm

I don't think you can do Napster with an iPod... they're secure WMA's, which I don't think can be played on an iPod.

Otherwise, I really like Napster.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 10:36 pm

Very negative article on the new Napster.

Vegetable Man · Post by **Vegetable Man** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 10:59 pm

I don't think I necessarily see it from that articles P.O.V.. I'm very intrigued by the new Napster. I've been using Real Rhapsody for the past year, and I've been totally happy with it, except that I have no way to listen to the streaming music outside of my home and office. Napster, on the other hand, gives me all the benefits of Rhapsody, with the additional benefit of being able to take my music on the road, or to the gym, whatever. I wish it was a bit closer to Reals $9.95 a month price point, but the extra $5 seems worth the convenience. It's seems like just another service to me, sorta like XM Radio for my portable music player. I don't think the new Napster's going away anytime soon. Real claims a subscription base of 700,000 for Rhapsody, and I think Napster has a good chance to bite into that number.

Has anyone tried using the new Napster? Yea? Nay? I haven't signed up for the free trial yet, but the interface looks very similar to iTunes.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:42 pm

Is there any major mp3 download center that has high bitrate songs available ( >= 192kbps) with a large catalog online? Bonus points if it doesn't contain an annoying management system meant to keep me from transferring the digital goodness to as many devices as I'd like (although my understanding is that these systems are extremely easy to foil by anybody with an understanding as to how a soundcard actually works).

If the catalog was large enough (and the downloading policy permissive enough), I'd pay $50 a month for such a set-up.

~Neal

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 12:08 am

eMusic.com is still around, and they claim >400,000 songs using VBR with an average of 192k. It's $9.99/month for 40 downloads, $14.99/month for 65 downloads, and $19.99/month for 90 downloads. There is no protection on the files, either.

[edit]Plus I get 10 free downloads if I refer you!

[/edit]

Mookee · Post by **Mookee** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 12:08 am

Spiff, I just checked the new Napster out since they have a free trial going and it's not going to be iPod friendly for your daughter. Here's the scoop:

The first level is just like iTunes where you can buy tracks for $.99 and albums for ~$10. These are DRM protected WMA files though, which means you can not play them on an iPod in the format they come in. The DRM can be stripped off these relatively easily, but like LawBeefaroni said, that may not be something you want to have your daughter doing.

Second level is $9.95 and you download or stream songs from Napster to your PC and you can listen to them as much as you want while you're subscribed. Download in this case does not equal buy, though. You can't burn them or put them on a portable device without buying the tracks. They wouldn't work on an iPod without stripping the DRM anyway.

Third level is just like the second except you can transfer the files to a Napster supported device (not an iPod). $14.95.

I have to say I'm a little shocked by the second option in that they actually download the file to your PC. They must be very confident with their protection or there has to be actual communication back to Napster to play the file....

Spiff · Post by **Spiff** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 1:57 am

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I sure don't want her trying to strip anything off the files. I know it's easy, but I've got enough trouble telling her not to load excess crap on her PC anyway. It got to the point where ehs' got user rights only on the machine, and I have to download the iTunes stuff on my login. 1100 instances of spyware has a tendency to upset dad a tidbit. That was my last go 'round with 98. All home machines now on XP.

ImLaw,

I'll check out eMusic and see what it has to offer. If I decide to go that route, I'll definately help ya with the referral for sure. I don't mind the iTunes store, but that's a might expensive at .99 each. Great selection though.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 2:29 am

ImLawBoy wrote:eMusic.com is still around, and they claim >400,000 songs using VBR with an average of 192k. It's $9.99/month for 40 downloads, $14.99/month for 65 downloads, and $19.99/month for 90 downloads. There is no protection on the files, either.

[edit]Plus I get 10 free downloads if I refer you! [/edit]

They used to be like $15 a month for unlimited downloads. I got 2 gigs of music in my first month. They asked me to slow down. I got 6 gigs over the next few months. They changed their service to $15 for 40 songs or so a while back, I cancelled my subscription.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 10:42 am

So Kelric basically ruined it for all of us.

Mr. Sparkle · Post by **Mr. Sparkle** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 11:11 am

Vegetable Man wrote:Has anyone tried using the new Napster? Yea? Nay? I haven't signed up for the free trial yet, but the interface looks very similar to iTunes.

I use it and like it quite a bit.

I have it both on my work, home computer, and have a Creative 30 gig player... I pay the $9.95, and that basically suits my needs perfectly. The player meshes transparently, so I don't have to futz with multiple programs...

Their catalog is pretty impressive to me... though I've not spent any time with iTunes... and most albums, I can download and listen to in full... before I decide whether I want to buy any tracks or the album as a whole. The artists are pretty well cross-linked with others of their ilk... from what other people who bought an album liked... so its got me to download some bands that I had heard of, but not really ever felt compelled to listen to...

Of course, I'm not someone who balks at spending money on music... for some stuff, I would buy 2 copies on vinyl and still buy the whole album off Napster.

I would see how some would balk at the semi-draconian copy protection... but I see it as the only way that all the labels are finally going to buy into this digital music thing.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 11:53 am

ImLawBoy wrote:eMusic.com is still around, and they claim >400,000 songs using VBR with an average of 192k. It's $9.99/month for 40 downloads, $14.99/month for 65 downloads, and $19.99/month for 90 downloads. There is no protection on the files, either.

[edit]Plus I get 10 free downloads if I refer you! [/edit]

I have been thinking about trying eMusic, since they have a 50-song trial and there is a decent amount of stuff there I want to pick up (The Decemberists, Belle and Sebastian, The Pixies, old Love and Rockets, etc).

Is the quality okay with VBR at 192k (I never use VBR when I rip CDs)? Is their eMusic Download Manager worth using, and does it run all the time (taking up system resources) or do you just run it while you are downloading stuff from eMusic?

I'd appreciate any impressions from current eMusic customers.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:06 pm

Yeah, I'll probably poke my head into the eMusic train when I get back from my overseas trip. ILB'll have a good chance to convince me to sign up whilst we're in Vegas this weekend. He and I have very similar tastes in music, so if he finds it to be a good bargain, chances are good that I would, too.

~Neal

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 2:12 am

Originally posted by Freezer-TPF-:
Is the quality okay with VBR at 192k (I never use VBR when I rip CDs)?

I have no problems with it, but maybe I'm just easy. That's easy enough to check, though, during the trial.

Originally posted by Freezer-TPF-:
Is their eMusic Download Manager worth using, and does it run all the time (taking up system resources) or do you just run it while you are downloading stuff from eMusic?

The big plus of the download manager is that it allows you to d/l entire albums with a single click. If you don't use the DM, you have to click on each song individually. It's only on when you're actually using it, and as far as I can tell, it's system usage is minimal. Really, it's incredibly unobtrusive (unless I'm just oblivious).

The potential negative for eMusic is the selection. They only feature independent labels, as none of the majors will go near their protection-free downloads. If there's enough on the site where you think you'll use the 40 d/ls a month, though, I think the $9.99 is a great deal. I was originally put off when they made the switch from unlimited d/ls to the limited ones, but I eventually realized it was still a good deal, so I've stuck with it.

Freezer-TPF- · Post by **Freezer-TPF-** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:33 am

Thanks, ImLawBoy. I think there is enough music there I already know I want to make it worth the trial and at least signing up for a few months. I was just a little wary of their download manager and didn't want another piece of buggy bloatware on my system like MusicMatch or RealPlayer.

If you want, feel free to PM or email me with your referral info and I will try to get you credit when I sign up.

Greggy_D · Post by **Greggy_D** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 12:09 pm

Kelric wrote:They used to be like $15 a month for unlimited downloads. I got 2 gigs of music in my first month. They asked me to slow down.

Sounds like Netflix and their "unlimited" rentals.

http://www.octopusoverlords.com/phpBB2/ ... php?t=5816