A nice idea, and wide selection of music - but strict licensing, and poor customer service make this service a doomed failure.
I've seen an article on Wired.com about this (thanks ste) and it seems already people aren't thrilled with the licensing format that is in place on these music files. I can almost accept the fact that you'll have to jump through hoops if you want to be able to download your music. Look, the music industry is whining that they're losing money thanks to mp3s - the public wants to be able to get their music their way (which right now is digitally) - I can agree to compromise.…
Article comments
26 - Todd McMillen
TBD doesn't know about Microsoft Word or Excel. Both programs started out on Mac and were ported to PC. Most digital cameras and camcorders and most mice and keyboards work fine on a Mac. Blizzard makes fine Mac software. Pangea games work fine also. Id seems to be able to make Quake 3 work pretty well. GiMP works well on a Mac with XWindows, Adobe and Macromedia don't seem to have much trouble. I guess it's true that Windows software doesn't work too well on a Mac. Maybe the problem is that you're trying to load a floppy?
Windows machines are necessary for using Visual Basic programs and playing games. Otherwise a Macintosh works fine for email, web, Microsoft Office -- you know, all the things you really need a computer for.
Telling someone to switch from Mac to PC is more like trading in a backhoe for a BMW. You'll be glad you switched when you realize Apple computers work for you instead of the other way around.
27 - Todd McMillen
Oh, and BTW, networking my Mac is only a problem when I use a Wintel machine for the proxy. Now I use a $50 D-Link router and it's all good.
28 - Baker Hightower
Has anyone seen the buymusic.com commercial of tommy lee breaking the guitar, which is supposed to symbolize destroying iTunes or whatever. Why make commercials about ur service beating the competitions when ur own cant even compare to it in any way. Ah, comedy at its best. I love watching it for a laugh.
29 - Ben Pearre
You want downloadable music? Information can be duplicated freely. End of story. Any attempt to restrictively license it is doomed from the start. The solution: stop trying to license it. If you make music, no matter how bad you think it is, then give it away! However, a tip jar isn't so very far-fetched...
Click here if you like classical.
30 - Carlos Isales
Macs are bad for servers or "other networking stuff"?...well thats an interesting oppinion, seing as how Mac OS X uses Apache for webserving, and It has a Unix Core...
"I don't know of any programs or games that an outside company has made for a Mac that wasn't converted from PC form originally. It just isn't economical." Well, ignoring your typos and the fact that you are probably a twelve year old from Ohio, I can name many apps that were originally for macs. The list I can pull up from the top of my head is : Marathon (Windows gamers drooled over the fact that Marathon 2 was actually PORTED to windows.) Halo was originally going to be a mac app, Blizzard games are now hybrid disks, the escape velocity series, etc. John Carmack also said in an interview that Mac OS X was a joy to code for. Eat that, ignorant fool.
Linux Lad, Mac Master, Spork Lord
31 - woody188
I think it's funny how this is going to the Win vs. Mac arguement again. I use Windows for gaming, Mac for just about everything else, and Linux for servers. All have their good a bad points.
I will not use DRM restricted files. If I get one, I will burn it and re-encode, or if it is burn restricted, I'll convert to analog and back to digital via my sound card and some cables. Any quality loss is minimal. DRM is a waste of a developer's time. You can always find a way around it. They ought to commit their developers to making better formats than trying to protect the files. If you can hear the music, there will always be a way to create another file from it that is not protected.
32 - Dave Barnard
Apple have shown the way with iTunes - customers do not want DRM, only corporations who want a pay-for-play digital world where the consumer has no fair-use rights, as it makes more money for them. Forever...
This world will never exist unless society is prepared to consider P2P music downloaders in the same category as terrorists...
IME P2P increases people's interest in new artists, much in the same way as home taping did - it didn't kill music. Either...
As for Macs not being useful for servers and important applications..? Check this..
http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/g5/
dave
33 - Adam Jacob Muller
get a mac, iTunes rocks, my ipod is kick-ass. I'm truly sorry that there is no comparable solution on the PC and wonder why steve jobs hasnt released iTunes for PC yet... once he does EVERYONE will use it. It's 1000x better thatn any of the filesharing services. The selection is somewhat limited however they are supposedly going to fix this soon and expand the collection dramatically. this will be great and once itunes is on the pc, it will make the apple music store the de-facto music solution.
34 - demonx
Well, longwinded as I am... Let me start by saying I have "illegally" downloaded music for several years... For the most part it was easier to hop on irc, queue a whole album, and go fart around with another machine. Of course, most of this "illegal" donwloading was of crap that doesnt exist on tape/cd and was dubbed from from reel2reel and vynl. Of course, alot of it was stuff from cd's I own, easier to queue that to rip the cd(I'm lazy). Not to metion bootlegs, concert recordings, unauthorized covers, etc(all "illegal"). My point is; if you want me to pay for this crap, make it worth my while. I want mp3's or a CD. period. I will NOT jump through hoops. When it becomes as easy for the masses to buy music (iTunes) than it is to rip it off, then you have something. I still buy CDs. unfortunately I purchased St. Anger, I promised myself I would never buy another metallica CD, but I did it anyway. Boy was I bummed. I could have downloaded it, realized that I didn't like it, and deleted it because it was wasting valuable disk space that I could be using for fonts or something. I run winblows/linux/irix/minix/openbsd at my house. In my work enviroments I use winblows/linux/SCO(I'm working on migrating the SCO software to NetBSD). I love/live *nix. I applaud Apple for moving to a *nix based os. SMART move. Nerds and simpletons are both happy. I don't have a mac > 68k. I don't need one. However, if I could afford a new mac, I would gladly wipe windows from my high performance PC's and run a falvor of *nix on them. Then I could do my pointy-clicky-hassle-free FUN computing on the mac. Sorry I had to bite the flamebait of the whole OS/platform war thing. Yes macs are great, the intel platform is great of you have something decent to run on it, but I just want something that works. i.e: let me download some damn mp3s if you expect me to buy your grabage online. They don't pay for packaging or production, just the data, and if we are going to go that route, we should also just be paying for the data with a nominal markup. We shouldln't have to pay for these fools to copy protect their inferior quality downloads. I mean come on, magazines and books don't self destruct. Unless they get their asses in gear and motivate their so-called business strategies toward making the consumer happy (mp3) they will end up having wasted alot of money on securing stuff that people just wont buy. As for me, I'll just buy the CD and rip it if I have to. Other than that I'll just download it if it's not on CD. They can kiss my all american.
Bill Watts
35 - Philip Greenwood
Mp3's are an inferior encoding to the AAC that Apples iTunes Music store uses. It is a great improvment and is a file playable using Quicktime, for both PC or Mac. This is not an insignificant difference. I don't know what the windows version sounds like and doubt that it will play on the Windows media player for Mac, at least not as well as AAC on iTunes. I have re-ripped all the CD's I want on the hard drive to AAC, half the size for the same audio quality. This is one of the reasons Apple is doing so well with online music sales.
36 - SteveL
The person must be joking or seriously outdated when he said Macs are bad for servers. Check out Mac OS X with the new FreeBSD core. Match that with the new G5s... *DROOL*
37 - RLU
Well, this is quite the interesting beehive going on here. Where to start!? The music industry doesn't give a damn at all for the consumer's happiness in any way, shape or form. That is a given. Now, to expect an online music store to act any other way is just pure silliness! They are ALL in it for absolutely one thing and one thing only... YOUR money! Let's face it, why else would they be willing to spend MILLIONS (dare I say Billions!?) to fight against music piracy in the courts and with multiple anti-copy schemes. Why not use this money to give everyone lower prices for what they want... quit raping the customers to fatten their pockets. Profit is good but it CAN be taken too far! Now, let me jump into the OS War Pool. I use Linux (Slackware, of course!), MAC OS X, Windows 98/2kPro/XP Pro. I have my entire house networked. Who connects to the network without any work on my part? MAC OS X. It is automatic from the initial install. I install, it connects. That's is. Linux takes a couple minutes and it LAN-links immediately. Windows... well, I do not have to explain the issues there, I am sure. XP is the only version of Windows that I have running that was fairly simple in the networking arena. Apps/Games/Utils for all the operating systems are readily available at a store or online so THAT particular argument is pure BS. I was a MAC basher for the longest. I thought the same thing. I still care not for the pre-OS X scene but absolutely fell in love with the OS X platform. As one person mentioned, each has its place. Bashing an OS is simply a mark of your own ignorance. And yes, the MAC platform just works, period. Get over it.
38 - nub
See my horrible experience at http://arstechnica.infopop.net/OpenTopic/page?q=Y&a=tpc&s=50009562&f=67909965&m=7760959675&p=1
-nub
39 - Brian Flemming
I like the iTunes music store so much I based this store on it.
40 - Al Barger
Here Nub, let me help you with THAT.
41 - Tom Morris
"And let's not forget that Macs are horrible to use for servers, routers, hubs, and on any kind of important network. Useless."
Bollocks. Compare my OS X install of apache, sendmail, fetchmail, procmail, sshd, ftpd to whatever crap you can get for Windows. Then compare it in terms of reliability. I think you'll find that my BSD-derived Mac would kick any Windows install up the ass.
42 - JoeBob
> I don't know of any programs or >games that an outside company >has made for a Mac that wasn't >converted from PC form originally. It >just isn't economical.
Err. Micro$oft Excel was first created for the MacOS and ported to Windoze.
43 - JoeBob
That new white magic
http://www.nationalpost.com/search/site/story.asp?id=1378CAFA-0509-4389-8B7E-4333915AF45A
44 - Madre Esterhuyse
SMS SOLUTIONS
Dear Sir/Madam:
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I would like you to take the opportunity to see what we can offer you by visiting our website www.clickatell.com and to let us know what you think.
Could you perhaps provide me with the contact details of the appropriate person to speak to in the company?
45 - steve
My experience with BuyMusic.com
http://tingilinde.typepad.com/starstuff/2003/07/more_on_buymusi.html
I wonder if they can fix it (there is so much to fix).
46 - MRuss
I had an experience that was very similar to Jennifer's, but was able to resolve it. I downloaded half a dozen songs to my Windows ME machine, but when I tried to burn them to CD, the Roxio plug-in kept telling me "There are no tracks to burn." It wouldn't do anything. I went back into Media Player and activated each song as she describes, and still couldn't get anything to burn.
Finally I opened up my copy of Easy CD Creator 4. I dragged each .WMA file to the CD Layout window, clicked Create CD and it burned perfectly.
I had tried to do this earlier and got a licensing error, but once I activated each song within Media Player I found that I didn't need the Roxio plug-in to do the burning. At least it worked for me.
47 - Breckenridge Colorado
I had a similar experience with Easy CD Creator 4. It was great.
48 - Josh Davis
After downloading their buggy software and finally getting it to install correctly, I found that my network (located overseas, a government intranet) would not allow in buymusic's traffic. Well, Buymusic decided that this wasn't their problem, and made me pay for downloads I never received.
What's more, after some complaining, I was told I could receive a small refund. However, I never got a penny, and every email I've sent them since then (maybe a couple months ago) has been ignored. Don't use Buymusic if you desire fair customer service and a product that works.
49 - TDavid
Hi Josh - I'm curious what "buggy software" are you talking about? Last time I purchased from buymusic.com it was just the tracks that I downloaded, there was no software like Rhapsody or iTunes to contend with. Are you talking about Windows Media Player ... or what?
50 - Michel
You have done an exceptional job in creating and designing this website. My Congratulations to you!!!
51 - tom
Hello, I just wanted to say you have a very informative site which really made me think, Thanks !
ent site with a wealth of info.!...thanks very much!
52 - Igor
Hey guy! Just respect to you for what you are doing! And for you know exactly the idea what u r talking about!
53 - Mac Diva
It is indeed time for you to take a bite of the Apple, Jennifer. I've had none of the problems you reference using the iTunes Music Store. Neither have my Windows using friends. (The only catch is holding on to those selections if you reinstall iTunes, but that can be solved with a free hack.)
You Windows users may feel put upon because of the obvious supremacy of the iPod and iTunes, but hear the Apple folks out, please. I've usually been bi (computer platform, that is) and am not a Wintel hater. Folks are simply telling the truth about who is leading in this area.
54 - BB
I started out in the computer industry as a programmer selling Japanese CPM-based multitasking Desktop Personal Computers. Eventually some guy named Bill Gates sold a borrowed operating system to IBM and we were put out of business over night. I decided to move to the Apple world and built an Apple 11 Plus clone. I quickly learned that Apples were software challenged and moved on to the PC (AT). Hardly a day didn't go by that I cursed Mr. Gates' inferior product. I justified my decision with all that software that was out there to play with. I considered going back to Apple almost everyday BUT now that I have upgraded to XP there is no reason to. I hate to admit it but Billy has finally got it right and XP is a wonderful operating system and there is no need to move over to Apple now. Why anybody would pay 3 times the price for a Mac is beyond me. XP is stable and there is a plethora of software not available for the Mac. Mac's are for newbies and the technically challenged. Go XP, that's my recommendation.
Regarding downloadable music. Wait until the legal dust has settled and they get all the bugs out of RIAA approved downloadable music, or move to Canada or the Netherlands and download with Kazaa to your heart's content. Or, make a Canuk or Dutchy your friend until the U.S. has caught up to the rest of the world :-)
55 - Mac Diva
BB, surely you are willing to grant Apple supremacy in regard to the best MP3 player and music store?
56 - BB
Actually MD I must plead ignorance as I do not own a portable MP3 player or download from Apple's music store. I listen to all my music on my computer. You see I am married with children and have no life of my own :-)
There is no question that Apple makes great products. However, I still see no reason to move back to Apple until their products become less proprietary, open up their architecture and compete cost-wise with PC/Win products. If they did that software manufacturers would start making more product for the Mac's and then it would be a viable alternative. But now that XP is so good I believe Apple has lost it's window of opportunity. It's unfortunate that Apple stopped licencing clones back in the 80's because they certainly could have given PC/Win products a run for their money so to speak.
57 - TDavid
Linux is about to take over Apple in terms of consumer and company in-use penetration, which will make Apple #3 on the all important food chain. They can sell a zillion iPods and iTunes downloads, but until they penetrate more homes and businesses, their "supremecy" will be limited.
I still think they should get some sort of subscription service to compete with Rhapsody, but it seems that they don't believe subscription services are the wave of the future. I have saved money and have purchased less music since signing up for a subscription purchase. Yeah, I know, I'm just renting music and that thought bothers some folks.
Just wait until portable and auto radios plus other devices become internet aware wi-fi devices. Then once again history will repeat itself and Apple's iPod and iTunes will be left in the dust, like they have been with so many other things they've come out with. My guess is our cell phone will become the ultimate portable swiss knife device -- phone, PDA, mp3 player, etc.
In the long term, IMO, people will go for convenience.
58 - Mac Diva
Steve Jobs said 'no' to subscription services in a recent interview (see the BC iPod warranty thread). But, I suppose he could change his mind.
59 - Tim
The two biggest concerns I have is limited selection which I believe they will eventually fix and a bigger problem is that I cannot play the .wma files in Winamp, which is my player of choice. it goes back to the license verification. People will continue to download illegal music until te folks offering legal music open their etes to the needs of their consumers
60 - Mark Saleski
has a term been coined yet for this spam in comments stuff?
link spam?
man, it's really annoying.
61 - Eric Olsen
yes, but I can live with it if they say something nice and come from a foreign land
62 - Tim Hall
All your comment thread are belong to us!
63 - Donovan
My latest e-mail to buymusic support
http://www.scriptygoddess.com/archives/004057.php
You gave her back HER money, I see... And I was enough smarter than YOU guys *or* her that I figured out THAT problem.
You guys should really get it together. The Roxio plugin that comes with the Windows Media 9 player is broken. You can download an update here
That fixes the problem. If you guys were REAL tech support engineers, you would have figured this out and added it to your FAQ. A note, it may not fix the problem for ALL users... but it evidently works for a lot of them. If this problem is THIS common, I can imagine you guys have a LOT of pissed off customers. You should be shut down until you can get your shit together. But, judging from the broken english and form nature of your responses, I don't think YOU guys really care at all if buymusic makes it or not... you're helpdesk-for-hire Punjabis, is my guess...
64 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Donovan, you are probably right about the location of their support, though idon't think jsut because the support is Indian means they don't give a shit.
What does seem to be clear is that BuyMusic just isn't very good, period.
65 - Curt Wilson
Don't trust emusic.com! I signed up for their premimum subscription with a 30 day free trail. After a couple of weeks I figured out that they did not have many of the tunes I was looking for so I cancelled before my pay subscription kicked in. Two weeks after I canelled they re-activated my account and charged my credit card. I even filled out their survey so they had feedback and what they could do to improve their service. Their download software is good (fast and reliable) and the music doesn't come with any restrictions, but the fact that they still took my money after I cancelled didn't sit well. (At least I used a temporary credit card number so they can't take any more $) I called my credit card company and I have to wait until Monday to talk with the charge back people to get my money back.
66 - Nazago
If you bought music tracks from Buy.com and the tracks won't play because the media player is "unable to acquire the licenses", or tells you there are errors with the licenses or something like that... Most probably it's because it's Buy.com's fault and they do not want to admit it. And if you try to get tech support, now they charge you to tell you it is not their problem even though it is. (Call 1-800-800-0800 for free support). So, stop calling and emailing tech support at Microsoft (like they're telling you to) because it is not their problem or a problem with your computer or even your own computer skills... its THEM. How do I know? I figured out their mistake and was able to finally acquire the "licenses".
They kept telling me it was because my computer did not have DRM or there was a problem with it or the IE. But, how could this be if I can play other DRM-protected files... all of them, but the ones from Buy.com. So, since I paid for the tracks and did have the rights to play those songs in my computer, I tried to crack the tracks. Of course, I wasn't able to because I couldn't play the tracks to then bypass the protection. But, in the process I did find out what is wrong with them. Buy.com used to have another site to download music, Buymusic.com. So, when the WMP tried to acquire the licenses, the WMP did so by accessing that. The problem is that since they migrated everything to Buy.com, not all the tracks' licenses were properly reconfigured to then access the new site where the media player is supposed to acquire the proper licenses. Many tracks are redirected automatically to the new site, but many others aren't. So, what's the solution:
1. Go to your Buy.com account and get the sku numbers of the tracks. When you review the details of your purchase, like if you were going to download them, there's a table and the first thing on the table is that sku number.
2. Type this address in the IE and add at the end the sku number, right after the "=". (sku number). For example, if the track sku number is 123456789, then the address should read.
3. When you do that, the website will ask you for your email address and Buy.com password, and when you login the WMP will FINALLY acquire the "licenses", which are not real licenses, just a VERY limited authorization to play the tracks.
67 - Jennifer
Actually - it could be even easier - just use iTunes!! LOL! Since they came out for the PC (ages and ages ago) I haven't used another service. Apple's got it right. The store works - the licensing works - their customer service works. Go iTunes!