Thursday, September 09, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

The Mercury's damn-near definitive guide to the best online music services

iTunes

www.itunes.com

Pros

• Outstanding selection: More than 1 million songs from all five major labels and more than 600 indies

• Competitive pricing: 99¢ per song, $9.99 per album

• Easy desktop interface for browsing/buying songs

• Works with Mac and PC

Cons

• Copy-protected, AAC-format songs work only with a limited number of programs and portable players (most notably, iTunes and the iPod)

• Songs can be transferred to a maximum of five computers

• iTunes requires OSX (Mac) or Windows XP/2000 (PC)

• Mandatory software updates can be problematic on some computers, particularly for Windows users

Napster 2.0

www.napster.com

Pros

• Outstanding selection: 750,000-plus songs from 45,000-plus artists

• Competitive pricing: 99¢ per song, $9.95 per album

• $10 subscription service allows unlimited monthly downloads to computer

• New subscription service will allow unlimited downloads to PC-compatible portable players

• User-friendly network connects subscribers in real time

• Songs can be purchased with Napster cards available at Best Buy, Rite Aid, 7-Eleven, etc.

Cons

• Copy-protected, WMA-format songs work only with Windows PCs and PC-compatible portable players (no iPods)

• Songs downloaded on subscription plans become unplayable after subscription lapses

• Songs must be purchased separately in order to be burned to CD

• Songs can be transferred to a maximum of three computers

• Napster 2.0 requires Windows XP/2000

Wal-Mart Music Store

www.walmart.com

Pros

• Good source for mainstream artists

• Competitive pricing: 88¢ per song

Cons

• Copy-protected, WMA-format songs work only with Windows PCs and PC-compatible portable players (no iPods)

• Songs can be downloaded only three times

• Songs can be transferred to a maximum of three computers and burnt to 10 CDs

• Some songs are not available individually

eMusic

www.emusic.com

Pros

• Good, inexpensive source for independent bands and artists

• $10 subscription service allows 40 downloads per month, regardless of song length

• Unlimited use rights and repeat downloads

• Subscription can be canceled at any time

• Works with the largest variety of operating systems: OS9/OSX (Mac) or Windows 98/ME/XP/2000 (PC)

• New, completely updated version of eMusic to launch on Sept. 22

• New eMusic will feature editorial content by some of the world's most accomplished music critics

• New members receive free trial subscription with 25-50 free downloads

Cons

• Selection limited to independent labels and artists

• Unused downloads do not roll over from month to month

• Download interface can be awkward

Sony

Connect

www.connect.com

Pros

• Competitive pricing: 99¢ per song, $9.99 per album

Cons

• Smaller selection than iTunes, Napster 2.0 or Wal-Mart

• Copy-protected, ATRAC-format songs work only with Sony-brand music players, which don't play MP3s

• Songs can be copied to three computers and burned to 10 CDs but require Sony's SonicStage software