Buying CDs vs buying downloadable music online
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Hey all, Buying an audio CD typically costs between 15-25 bucks depending on when you buy it, whether it has bonus tracks etc. But I was exploring other options and found that you can buy songs off Yahoo for about $1, and Walmart's online music store sells them at $0.88 a song (any song - new or old). Say I wanted to buy a CD that had 12 songs and cost 17 bucks - I could download all 12 songs for 10.56, and if I skip downloading a couple of songs I don't really care for - the cost becomes 8.80. I save about $8 per CD, and if I buy 3 CDs a month the savings jump to 24 bucks, which translates to nearly 300 bucks annually. For a heavier music buyer like say CG, the savings might easily be in excess of $1000 annually. But before I go this route I wanted to know if any of you had tried this and prefer it to buying CDs or if you had issues with it. Walmart provides them as 128-bit WMA and it's DRM protected so that you can only burn it to a CD 8 times (that's good enough I think). I don't know what format Yahoo sells them in.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)I think you have to ask yourself the question: "Will I want to listen to this song in 3 or more years? If I do want to listen in 3 or more years will I want to repurchase the song in the new xyzDRM format that is better-than-128bit-but-still-not-perfect-quality?" If you are the type to discard your music after a few years then I'd go with the pay-to-play walmart option, chances are you're not too concerned about having a collection of quality recordings. However, since you care enough to ask this question, then chances are you have a bit of pride in your CD collection. If thats the case then you should purchase-to-own, that is buy the CD. Then you can rip music with the quality level you desire. Personally I try and rip all my music in a lossless format, with flac using dbPoweramp or sometimes EAC, that way I always have a perfect copy at hand and have a back up if one of my CD's become unreadable. You can always copy from a lossless format like .flac or .ape to a lossy format like .mp3, or more preferably .ogg (if you have a portable player that plays ogg, like my Samsung YP-F1).
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Hey all, Buying an audio CD typically costs between 15-25 bucks depending on when you buy it, whether it has bonus tracks etc. But I was exploring other options and found that you can buy songs off Yahoo for about $1, and Walmart's online music store sells them at $0.88 a song (any song - new or old). Say I wanted to buy a CD that had 12 songs and cost 17 bucks - I could download all 12 songs for 10.56, and if I skip downloading a couple of songs I don't really care for - the cost becomes 8.80. I save about $8 per CD, and if I buy 3 CDs a month the savings jump to 24 bucks, which translates to nearly 300 bucks annually. For a heavier music buyer like say CG, the savings might easily be in excess of $1000 annually. But before I go this route I wanted to know if any of you had tried this and prefer it to buying CDs or if you had issues with it. Walmart provides them as 128-bit WMA and it's DRM protected so that you can only burn it to a CD 8 times (that's good enough I think). I don't know what format Yahoo sells them in.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)My favorite sources of CDs are: 1) There's a store here in Nashville where you can buy used, scratched, overstocked CD's for $2-3, and most of the songs will play. 2) Our local record store often has a small selection of CDs for $7.99 or less. 3) BMG music club. The initial deal is great, and if you watch carefully and you are good at math and are organized enough to respond to their e-mail every month to avoid the automattic selection, then once or twice a year you can buy an armload at $5-$6 each. 4) Occasionally Amazon has a good deal. All of the above methods limit the selection. Once or twice a year I'm stuck paying $17 for a CD, and I always feel a little ill. My car plays mp3 CDs, but not wma or i-tunes. So, if I bought from Walmart or i-tunes I'd have to burn it to a CD, rip it as mp3, and burn the mp3 to disk to listen in my car. (My car is where I do 90% of my listening.) The thought makes me mad, so I refuse to do it. My source for legal, DRM free mp3s is e-music. It's a fantastic deal if you like independant music. It's like $.30/song or something. Millions of songs to choose from. I wish there was a source for legal, DRM free mp3s from major labels. I'd pay $.99/song sometimes, no problem. But I refuse to deal with the whole burn, rip, burn again dance that DRM would require for my mp3 player.
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Hey all, Buying an audio CD typically costs between 15-25 bucks depending on when you buy it, whether it has bonus tracks etc. But I was exploring other options and found that you can buy songs off Yahoo for about $1, and Walmart's online music store sells them at $0.88 a song (any song - new or old). Say I wanted to buy a CD that had 12 songs and cost 17 bucks - I could download all 12 songs for 10.56, and if I skip downloading a couple of songs I don't really care for - the cost becomes 8.80. I save about $8 per CD, and if I buy 3 CDs a month the savings jump to 24 bucks, which translates to nearly 300 bucks annually. For a heavier music buyer like say CG, the savings might easily be in excess of $1000 annually. But before I go this route I wanted to know if any of you had tried this and prefer it to buying CDs or if you had issues with it. Walmart provides them as 128-bit WMA and it's DRM protected so that you can only burn it to a CD 8 times (that's good enough I think). I don't know what format Yahoo sells them in.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)I didn't read all the replies but I can tell you this: my little sister-in-law wanted the new Beyonce (Knowles) CD for xmas so my wife and i went and picked it up at Best buy. it's a $17.99 CD with 11 tracks on it. another indication the recording industry hasn't learned its lesson. If they're still doing $.99 trax on iTunes, much cheaper there. If they're doing the "$10 for the album" on iTunes, even better.
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Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
gives 128 bit WMA which is equivalent to 256 bit mp3
It really isn't. 128kbps WMA is probably about equivalent to 192kbps MP3. Neither are anywhere close to CD quality. I rip from CD using WMA 9.1 VBR 90, which is the '135 to 215 kbps' setting in WMP's user interface. If you can't tell the difference, you need some better equipment. Particularly the headphones sold with most portable music players are complete rubbish. I have some Sony MDR-EX71 in-ear earphones which are a reasonable price/performance compromise. At 128kbps you lose a huge amount of detail. Some songs really don't rip well at all at this rate. On my home stereo (nothing majorly expensive, a Denon D-M30[^] UK spec, which means the Mission MS-50 speakers from the D-M50 system sold elsewhere) WMAs bought online have no presence at all - much of the stereo information, particularly in the bass, is lost. The contrast with CDs is stark.
Stability. What an interesting concept. -- Chris Maunder
Mike Dimmick wrote:
If you can't tell the difference, you need some better equipment.
Some of us really can't hear the difference. 6 years in the service working with tank, artillery and airplanes will do that to you. :)
Tanks for your support
Pat O
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Hey all, Buying an audio CD typically costs between 15-25 bucks depending on when you buy it, whether it has bonus tracks etc. But I was exploring other options and found that you can buy songs off Yahoo for about $1, and Walmart's online music store sells them at $0.88 a song (any song - new or old). Say I wanted to buy a CD that had 12 songs and cost 17 bucks - I could download all 12 songs for 10.56, and if I skip downloading a couple of songs I don't really care for - the cost becomes 8.80. I save about $8 per CD, and if I buy 3 CDs a month the savings jump to 24 bucks, which translates to nearly 300 bucks annually. For a heavier music buyer like say CG, the savings might easily be in excess of $1000 annually. But before I go this route I wanted to know if any of you had tried this and prefer it to buying CDs or if you had issues with it. Walmart provides them as 128-bit WMA and it's DRM protected so that you can only burn it to a CD 8 times (that's good enough I think). I don't know what format Yahoo sells them in.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)Buy a digital lossless format of the song if you can. wma 128 source Burn to CD --> (Transcodes to WAV format, filling in data holes with what the formula thinks is best) Rip the CD --> (New format compresses itself again to whatever you picked) constantly recompressing/ decompressing will eventually become noticeable. I still stick to CD's, digitize in a lossless format(Alac for Ipods, wma lossless for zune, flac for Linux) and toss the cd in a closet somewhere never to be seen again. ~B
Learn to Fly
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Hey all, Buying an audio CD typically costs between 15-25 bucks depending on when you buy it, whether it has bonus tracks etc. But I was exploring other options and found that you can buy songs off Yahoo for about $1, and Walmart's online music store sells them at $0.88 a song (any song - new or old). Say I wanted to buy a CD that had 12 songs and cost 17 bucks - I could download all 12 songs for 10.56, and if I skip downloading a couple of songs I don't really care for - the cost becomes 8.80. I save about $8 per CD, and if I buy 3 CDs a month the savings jump to 24 bucks, which translates to nearly 300 bucks annually. For a heavier music buyer like say CG, the savings might easily be in excess of $1000 annually. But before I go this route I wanted to know if any of you had tried this and prefer it to buying CDs or if you had issues with it. Walmart provides them as 128-bit WMA and it's DRM protected so that you can only burn it to a CD 8 times (that's good enough I think). I don't know what format Yahoo sells them in.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)Whoa... I use mp3sugar.com and pay around $2 for the entire album... download format is mp3.. So I just convert and burn my own CD's for the car, etc.. Nicholas
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I didn't read all the replies but I can tell you this: my little sister-in-law wanted the new Beyonce (Knowles) CD for xmas so my wife and i went and picked it up at Best buy. it's a $17.99 CD with 11 tracks on it. another indication the recording industry hasn't learned its lesson. If they're still doing $.99 trax on iTunes, much cheaper there. If they're doing the "$10 for the album" on iTunes, even better.
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Whoa... I use mp3sugar.com and pay around $2 for the entire album... download format is mp3.. So I just convert and burn my own CD's for the car, etc.. Nicholas
-
Hey all, Buying an audio CD typically costs between 15-25 bucks depending on when you buy it, whether it has bonus tracks etc. But I was exploring other options and found that you can buy songs off Yahoo for about $1, and Walmart's online music store sells them at $0.88 a song (any song - new or old). Say I wanted to buy a CD that had 12 songs and cost 17 bucks - I could download all 12 songs for 10.56, and if I skip downloading a couple of songs I don't really care for - the cost becomes 8.80. I save about $8 per CD, and if I buy 3 CDs a month the savings jump to 24 bucks, which translates to nearly 300 bucks annually. For a heavier music buyer like say CG, the savings might easily be in excess of $1000 annually. But before I go this route I wanted to know if any of you had tried this and prefer it to buying CDs or if you had issues with it. Walmart provides them as 128-bit WMA and it's DRM protected so that you can only burn it to a CD 8 times (that's good enough I think). I don't know what format Yahoo sells them in.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
Buying an audio CD typically costs between 15-25 bucks
You may find CDs at lower prices on EBay and Amazon Marketplace. Shipping should be nominal since it's local for you. (And prolly no sales tax either, lucky devil! :)) /ravi
Just say "No" to Celcius Home | Music | Articles | Freeware | Trips ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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brianwelsch wrote:
I've recently started ripping my entire CD collection (finally) and go for 192-bit mp3s, personally I think it sounds better than 128.
Walmart gives 128 bit WMA which is equivalent to 256 bit mp3.
brianwelsch wrote:
Typically, I find CDs for around $12-13.
Where do you buy them from?
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
128 bit WMA
I found what Mike said interesting. I'll have to play around a bit with WMA. I've been ripping as MP3, mostly out of habit, but maybe WMA is a better way to go.
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
Where do you buy them from?
I usually buy either from Amazon, or Best Buy/Circuit City, but occasionally I find music I like at Target, etc. Mostly big chains. I'm odd about what I buy, though. I rarely have something very specfic in mind when I buy new CDs. I browse until I find something interesting at a price I'm willing to pay.
BW
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
-- Steven Wright -
Nishant Sivakumar wrote:
gives 128 bit WMA which is equivalent to 256 bit mp3
It really isn't. 128kbps WMA is probably about equivalent to 192kbps MP3. Neither are anywhere close to CD quality. I rip from CD using WMA 9.1 VBR 90, which is the '135 to 215 kbps' setting in WMP's user interface. If you can't tell the difference, you need some better equipment. Particularly the headphones sold with most portable music players are complete rubbish. I have some Sony MDR-EX71 in-ear earphones which are a reasonable price/performance compromise. At 128kbps you lose a huge amount of detail. Some songs really don't rip well at all at this rate. On my home stereo (nothing majorly expensive, a Denon D-M30[^] UK spec, which means the Mission MS-50 speakers from the D-M50 system sold elsewhere) WMAs bought online have no presence at all - much of the stereo information, particularly in the bass, is lost. The contrast with CDs is stark.
Stability. What an interesting concept. -- Chris Maunder
