MP3 Downloads: Amazon or iTunes?

[Reid Kistler]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.geardiary.com/2010/03/16/itunes-and-amazon-mp3-it-is-no-contest/#more-79827' target='_blank'>http://www.geardiary.com/2010/03/16...est/#more-79827</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"...I heard a song that I liked a lot.... The next day I was thinking to myself that perhaps the rest of the album was worth getting.... So I went over to iTunes I saw that it was available for $9.99.... [But] I... discovered that it was available on Amazon.com for a good bit less...."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1269038134.usr19541.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Dan Cohen at GearDiary has done a small comparison of MP3 album prices between <a href="http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b?ie=UTF8&amp;node=163856011" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/what-is/" target="_blank">iTunes</a>. His article points out some interesting differences between the two sites, such as albums having differing number of tracks, which certainly surprised me! He concludes that Amazon was the less expensive retailer, at least for the titles he compared. Frankly, I have never downloaded an MP3 album, as I still prefer a "hard copy" (a CD, or LP...), but for those of you who have, is Amazon or iTunes your vendor of choice? And is price the only important distinction between the two? Or are there other retailers which offer even better bargains or other advantages?</p>

[Chris Gohlke]

Amazon, they offered DRM free tracks first, so were the first to get my business, and I've stayed with them. But usually just for individual tracks. When I go to buy a full album, I usually notice that I can get a used copy of the CD for less than the download and take that route instead.

[doogald]

I posted this reply at geardiary, but one reason I'll think about staying with iTunes is that they offer "complete this album" pricing, so if you buy a couple of tracks and then want the rest of the album, you'll still pay less than you would on Amazon doing the same thing.

Also, if you have an iPod/iPhone and sync iTunes purchased content, if you lose any purchased tracks from your PC - accidentally delete, have to format the PC without a good backup - any iTunes purchased content on the device can be synced back to iTunes.

I usually buy from iTunes, sometimes I check both stores, about 1/3rd of the time I buy from Amazon (losing tracks is not so big a deal for me, because I back up like crazy.)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

*ahem* iTunes is AAC, isn't it?

[Reid Kistler]

*ahem* iTunes is AAC, isn't it?


Lee: What does "AAC" refer to?

Was trying to go for a recording sequence (Analog - Analog - C???) - or perhaps a specific type of encoding / compression?

AND: is it a Good Thing, or a Bad Thing??? :confused:

[Rob Alexander]

Doogald, with all due respect, does iTunes replace a Word document that accidentally gets deleted from your computer that you worked weeks to create? I know that sounds non-sequitor to the conversation, but here's the thing. Anyone with any sense has a backup plan in place for the files on their computer. In fact, I'd say that my MP3s are some of the least important things I have on my computer. Years of research data and teaching materials are priceless so I don't put them at risk by failing to back them up. My Amazon MP3 files are just files... completely DRM free and easily available for me to backup just like any other type of data. So having iTunes restore them has no value at all. The 'complete an album' feature is nice, though. There is definitely value in that. But it's not enough. Really, I just don't get why I would pay more money for a file that is protected than for a DRM-free Amazon MP3.

Actually, Chris's post resonated with me. I have never bought a DRM'd music file. For years, before Amazon started their service, I either bought the CD or went without. Once Amazon got started, I went with them, have downloaded a pretty fair amount of music, and I see no reason to buy anywhere else. I do sometimes download entire albums, but more often I just pick the tracks I like. When I do want an album, I compare the prices and sometimes find it cheaper (or the same) to buy the CD. When that happens, I buy the CD and rip it to both FLAC (for permanent archiving) and MP3 (for playing). Otherwise, I pick and choose and I'm happy with the way Amazon works and the quality of their files.

[Bob Anderson]

Amazon, they offered DRM free tracks first, so were the first to get my business, and I've stayed with them.

Ditto. I didn't (and don't) like DRM in any flavor.

[marlof]

I choose iTunes, because it's the only one of the two that will sell items to me in The Netherlands.

[doogald]

My Amazon MP3 files are just files... completely DRM free and easily available for me to backup just like any other type of data. So having iTunes restore them has no value at all. The 'complete an album' feature is nice, though. There is definitely value in that. But it's not enough. Really, I just don't get why I would pay more money for a file that is protected than for a DRM-free Amazon MP3.

Any song that you buy from iTunes now is DRM free, and they have been since January 2009. They are standard AAC files - AAC is not a proprietary Apple format, but rather just a successor to the MP3 format. These files can also be backed up just as easily as an MP3 file. Now, I am pretty thorough about backup - I do online backups through JungleDisk, including my music files. But many people do not, many people who do back up just do local backups to an attached hard disk, and those can fail as well, or can be damaged by fire, lightning strike, whatever.

One more thing - because iTunes songs are 256 kb/s AAC files vs. Amazon 256 kb/s MP3, I would also argue that iTunes files are slightly higher quality - AAC files should sound better than MP3 files at the same bitrate encoding.

The fact that you can restore purchased files from your iPod is a minor plus, just as complete my album is, but it is a slight distinction that I think is worth mentioning.

[rlobrecht]

We never buy a whole digital album from a download, opting to buy the CD instead. If we only want one or two songs, we go to Amazon first, and then iTunes after that. My wife's car only plays MP3s, so even Amazon tracks get converted to MP3s after purchase.

[alanjrobertson]

Personally I just go with whichever website and use the excellent TuneChecker website (http://www.tunechecker.com/) that's been developed by Martin Lewis' MoneySavingExpert.com site. I'm not sure if there are comparable sites for users outwith the UK?

[aikon]

iTunes because of the broad selection of indie music and great user experience.