Music Download
If you’ve come of age in the past ten years or so, you’re
probably used to downloading music. There are even older people
who were used to buying CDs, cassette tapes, and even those
ancient LPs, who are discovering how easy it is to download
and enjoy their favorite music, and then make custom CDs with
just the songs they want. Before you download music, however,
you’ll need a download service- and this guide will go over
some of the most popular, and help you choose the best one
for your needs.
• iTunes- probably one of the most obvious choices, but it’s
obvious because it works. iTunes isn’t for those with really
eclectic music tastes, but for those who like more mainstream
music, it does the job quite nicely with over three million
songs to choose from. You can listen to the first thirty seconds
of each track as a preview, and iTunes even has a “Genius"
option, that makes a playlist for you based on the songs you’ve
chosen before.
• Napster- where it used to be a place to download songs illegally,
now it’s a pay site with a wide array of songs. The only hitch
is that the site doesn’t work on a Macintosh computer or with
an iPod. This one offers a monthly subscription plan.
• Amazon- just by the name alone, you know you can buy in
confidence. They’ve recently cut prices on whole albums, so
you can buy multiple tracks inexpensively. And, if the urge
strikes you, you can order CDs as well.
• MySpace Music- this is a great place to find new musical
talent among the many unsigned bands. They’re all trying to
get a following, and MySpace is a great way to connect with
potential fans.
• Spotify- it’s great if you just want to listen to music
without downloading. It allows you to stream music, acting
like a radio station where you get to pick the playlist- and
not have to listen to a DJ. You don’t get to keep any of the
songs (unless you use a backdoor method to record or download
them), but it’s free. To get the most out of Spotify, you
should have a broadband internet connection.
There are a lot of ways to find and download new music, and
with the choices above, you will be on your way to filling
your mp3 player with music in no time at all. |
