<update - Jan 2009> Apparently, iTunes is now going through and removing DRM from its music archives-- about 90% of iTunes music should be DRM free by the time you are reading this. That just goes to show you how well the DRM free music from AmazonMP3 was doing, considering that they forced iTunes to (finally) adopt the same model.</update>In a recently near-terrible event, I was caught up late at work and unable to get to a local music store to purchase the new Bleeding Through CD "Declaration". I was pretty pissed about having to wait another 24 hours to be able to pick the album up, since I have been waiting for a new Bleeding Through release for quite some time (The band's last release, "The Truth", is one of my favorite albums EVAR).
"Why not just download it using a music download service such as iTunes, then?"Um, how about no? We all know how terrible DRM can hold your songs hostage and require you to pay transfer fees, or tell you that you aren't allowed to transfer or burn it, etc. etc. etc. etc.
All DRM is pure evil. No exceptions. The very act of trying to stop pirating only punishes those who would otherwise be legitimate consumers. Recently, heroes like the Steam service from Valve have enabled me to confidently purchase games without ever worrying about DRM, but that's only games. Movies and Music have still been a pain in the butt when it comes to digital downloads for quite some time now.
...and when it comes to BitTorrent... well, I'm normally all for the pirating, however, I can't bring myself to pirate music from the bands that I adore so much as Bleeding Through; I feel the need to support their fantastic efforts. Plus, a lot of pirated music isn't of the highest quality, and THAT is important.
To be honest, the #1 reason that I ever pirate anything is because it isn't readily, conveniently, or practically available from a purchasable source. Take video games, for instance. PC Game companies chastise the user by forcing them to suffer horrible DRM that eliminates LAN play, causes multiple installation issues, and is in general a total headache.
So, why the hell hasn't anyone done something better than crappy old iTunes in terms of downloading music?
Enter, AmazonMP3.comJust about the most badass thing ever.
AmazonMP3.com - The best thing that ever happened to digital music
If you haven't already heard of this, you probably aren't going to believe it. I know I didn't. Here's how it works:
-- Go to www.amazonmp3.com
-- Search for any artist, album, or song
-- Click "Buy MP3" or "Buy MP3 Album" (~$10 for an album and $.89-$.99 per song)
-- Download the AmazonMP3 Downloader (this is NOT a crappy attempt at being another media player like iTunes, it is merely a downloader)
-- The AmazonMP3 downloader downloads the songs and puts them in your "User\Music" folder (or "My Music" folder if you still use Windows XP).
-- You now have 320kbps DRM free .mp3 format songs, just the same as if you had ripped them from a CD yourselfSounds too good to be true? Go try it. It's damned amazing. I'm listening to the new Bleeding Through CD
right now. They have a crap-ton of music available, to be specific:
Amazon MP3 was the first music download company to sign deals with all four major music labels creating one of the largest collections of DRM-Free music on the Internet
I've always loved Amazon.com for their very spot-on recommendations-- I heard about Burn in Silence, In This Moment, Bleed the Sky, Parkway Drive, and numerous other bands that are easily in my top 15 from Amazon.com's recommendations. Now I love them even more for creating the perfect music download service.
