Of course you knew I was going to give it a whirl, right? I’ve been checking it out for the past few days, seeing what they had and what they didn’t and for me it seems like it’s less ‘have’ and more ‘didn’t’. No Depeche Mode for example, among others.
Did a download. 1 Brian Setzer album for $8.99. A bit of a hitch here that I can save you from if you have multiple payment types set up at Amazon. I had my old (stolen) credit card still over there and it would not let me continue to purchase using 1-click (which is the only method for purchasing downloads) until the bad card was gone from every aspect of my account.
After jumping through the hoops, I installed the Amazon downloader and purchased my album. You download a single .amz file (cute eh?) which opens in the downloader automatically. Then, your tracks are downloaded. The very second they are done, like magic, they are in iTunes ready to listen to. No delay at all.
Quality? As promised, DRM-free MP3 files with a huge bitrate. Screenshot? sure.
Why would I use this instead of iTunes? Let me count the ways.
- No DRM - I can play these tracks on any device, or every device should I so choose. Burn ‘em to CD as much as want as well.
- High Quality tracks. 256K is double the quality of the tracks at the ITMS (except iTMS plus tracks) for the same price.
- Works with iTunes - And it’s seemless. It just happened, no fiddling around.
- Tabbed browsing - This has been my problem with iTunes for so long it’s not even funny. There are times when I want to check out multiple tracks out of a list (top 10 or top 100 for example) and it’s tedious when you only get one screen at a time.
If they can continue to expand their offerings, keep the prices where they are, keep ‘em DRM free I can see this turning into my new music store for sure. I will keep you posted.
3 Responses to “Amazon.com music store”
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September 30th, 2007 at 12:04 am
Downloaded some Peeping Tom from them the other day. And wanna know what I did the day after? Went to the actual local record store (not a Tower Records or a Best Buy mind you, but an actual Lincoln/Omaha-run store) and bought a Gore-Gore Girls CD. Cost a few bucks more, but I guess I got a physical CD out of it. Plus the booklet. The ladies in that band are mighty fine.
September 30th, 2007 at 6:05 am
hey db- did it come with the album art or did you have to tell itunes to search for it? I like the idea of DRM free music…how much is it one for song?
September 30th, 2007 at 7:04 am
If you look at the screen shot above, you’ll see album art.
I can also say that there is a noticeable difference in sound quality. These tracks sounded great in the MINI but I haven’t listened on the home stereo yet. I will have to get something I have in AAC format to compare.