Music Download Services
There are many ways to “download” music from the Internet. This page describes the different types of services available.
Unlimited Subscription
Unlimited subscription services allow you to listen to an unlimited number of songs from their library as long as you remain a subscriber. Some services allow you to save songs on your computer so that you can listen to music when you’re not connected to the Internet. But you still need to be a paying subscriber, otherwise the songs will not play.
| Name | Cost per Month | Size of Library | Operating Systems | Special Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napster | $9.95 | Over 2 million CD-quality tracks | Windows XP, 2000 | 7 days free trial | |
| Rhapsody | $14.99 | Over 2 million songs | Windows XP, 2000 (SP4), 98 SE, ME | 14 days free trial | |
| Yahoo! Music Unlimited | $5.99 | Over 2 million full-length songs | Windows XP, 2000 | 14 days free trial | Read review |
Specific Subscription
This subscription service is similar to a cell phone plan: you get a certain number of downloads per month. Unlike the unlimited subscription services listed above, you get to keep and are able to play the songs you have downloaded even if you are no longer a subscriber.
| Name | Cost | Size of Library | Operating Systems | Special Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eMusic | $9.99 per month/40 downloads ($0.25/track) $14.99 per month/65 downloads ($0.23/track) $19.99 per month/90 downloads ($0.22/track) |
More than 1,000,000 tracks | Most. (Unprotected MP3) | 14 days free trial | Read review |
Pay per Song
These services do not have a monthly fee, instead you purchase one song, or an album, at a time. You can take the songs you purchase and burn to a CD and/or move it to a portable music player. The exact limitations on what you can do with the songs you purchase, vary from service to service.
| Name | Cost per Song | Size of Library | Operating Systems | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BuyMusic at Buy.com | $0.79 - $0.99 | Over 1,093,946 songs and growing everyday! | Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98 SE | |
| iTunes | $0.99 | Over 3 million songs and counting | Windows XP, 2000. Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later | |
| MSN Music | $0.99 (most songs) | Over 1 million songs | Windows Media Player 10 | |
| Sony CONNECT | $0.99 | Over 1.5 million songs | Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98 SE | |
| Wal-Mart Music Downloads | $0.88 | 1 million songs | Windows XP, 2000 | Read review |