Amazon MP3 Easy to Use, Easy on Wallet

It had to happen. Apple's iTunes Store recently edged past Wal-Mart to become the top music retailer in the United States, according to the NPD Group's MusicWatch survey.
Well, big deal. I'd rather tune in to the download deals at Amazon MP3 (amazonmp3.com), which simply rocks when it comes to selling music online.
So what if Amazon MP3 doesn't offer more than 6 million songs like the iTunes, let alone sport that airy Apple aesthetic.
What Amazon MP3 lacks in style it more than makes up for in substance -- namely more than 4.5 million DRM-free tunes encoded at 256 kbps (kilobits per second).
DRM-free means you don't fuss with digital rights management, so you can play Amazon music downloads on your iPod or any other MP3 device or program, as well as burn them to a CD. The iTunes Store also has DRM-free tracks (only more than 2 million), but Amazon MP3 prices make its tunes sound so much sweeter.
Using Amazon MP3 is a cinch, especially thanks to its 1-Click ordering.
You'll need to download the free Amazon MP3 Downloader to buy MP3 albums. (You don't need it for individual song purchases.) The downloader conveniently adds your music downloads to iTunes or Windows Media Player.
As for prices, most Amazon MP3 tracks weigh in between 89 cents and 99 cents, with MP3 albums typically $5.99 to $9.99. I've found bargains at the site, such as Vampire Weekend's self-titled album for $7.99 and Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple for $8.99, compared to $9.99 each at iTunes.
And every Amazon MP3 album I've bought has been tax-free -- another spot of savings I never got at the iTunes Store.
Did I say "got," as in past tense? You bet, because Amazon MP3 is pretty much the only download service in my music-buying future.
And who knows? Maybe one day it'll even trump the iTunes Store as the top music seller in the States. It's already tops in my iPod.

Yahoo MP3 Service

Yahoo said to be in talks to offer music

Yahoo is in early discussions with major record labels over offering unprotected MP3s either for sale or for free as part of an ad-supported service, two record company executives familiar with the talks said Wednesday.

The talks, held as recently as last month, were preliminary because Yahoo is still working out the details, said the executives, who requested anonymity because of the discussions were confidential.

Yahoo hopes to launch the service this year, they said.

Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group Corp., and EMI Group PLC have in recent months begun licensing their music for sale as MP3 files online through retailers like Amazon.com.

Representatives for the labels declined to comment.

Amazon signs Sony download deal

The deal means Amazon is now the only company offering tracks from all four big music companies free of DRM.

This makes the Amazon store a more significant rival for Apple iTunes which has long had a commanding lead over rivals in the downloadable music market.

All the 3.1 million tracks in the Amazon store are free of DRM software. In contrast, only songs from EMI and some independent labels are available via Apple's iTunes without copy controls.

In February 2007, Apple boss Steve Jobs called on record labels to stop using DRM in a bid to boost the popularity of downloadable music.

The Amazon MP3 store, which launched in September 2007, is only available in the US. There have been no announcements about when or whether the service will be expanded overseas.

Songs prepared in the MP3 format can be played on any portable music player.