Nowadays Amazon launched a beta version of a music store that breaks this lock-in. All of Amazon's tracks are sold as unrestricted MP3s, free of Digital Rights Management, or DRM. And they will work on just about any music player in the world, including an iPod, iPhone, PSP, Zune. The store marks iTunes' first real competition. In fact, I think it kicks iTunes' buttons.
ong quality
Amazon: MP 3, encoded at a 256 kbps variable bit rate
iTunes: encoded as AAC files with a bit rate of 128 kbps
Price
Amazon: Tracks $0.89, full albums $8.99
iTunes: Tracks $0.99, full albums $9.99
Easy of use
Amazon: download a small companion program (works on Windows and Mac), you can reproduce
iTunes: buy a song with one click, it's integrated into your music player(you never have to fiddle with files on your hard drive to get the songs into your iPod)
selections
Amazon: 2 million songs (EMI and Universal)
iTunes: 6 million songs
restrict
Amazon: everything is unrestricted, everything will word for ever
iTunes: copy-protection scheme (put your songs on just five computers at a time; make only seven CD copies of a particular playlist), DRM protected
1. Song quality: Audiophiles can argue forever on the merits of higher-bit MP3s versus lower-bit AACs
listening to the same song purchased from each store they are almost the same
2. I found that "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness," Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 double album, is just $8.99, DRM-free, on Amazon. On iTunes it's $19.99.
From now on when I look for music, I'm going to go to Amazon first. Only if I don't find something there will I think about buying from iTunes. If you value your freedom, I may accept my way and follow someday.
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