The CD is increasingly becoming outdated, and MP3s and other digital formats are beginning to prevail over hard copies of musical works. There are so many websites for downloading music though that it is hard to tell which ones are the best, although there are a few which are streets ahead of the others.
This is an excellent website for music downloads. While a relative newcomer in the MP3 industry, they know exactly what the consumer wants as they have a good range and keep the copy protection to a minimum.
Price wise, they are also affordable as some albums are priced as low as £2 in the UK, and tracks are usually 79p. The one negative of this website though is the fact that only one download is allowed, meaning that if the consumer loses the tracks, they can't be re-downloaded.
However, if one backs their tracks up onto a CD, this no longer becomes a problem, and the good value and service shines through.
iTunes
Apple's iTunes was the innovator in the music download industry, and while they can call themselves pioneers, they have been overtaken in a few departments.
The copy protection on the tracks is irritating, as iTunes limits how many times one can back tracks up, and the store is set up so that no re-downloads are allowed.
The albums can also be on the pricey side, and the MP4 format the songs are sent in means that some portable music players (obviously excluding iPods) deal with them.
On the other hand though, the sound quality is good, and iTunes make it very easy to find what you want. It has its negatives, but iTunes do still offer a good service.
CD Baby are an independent music store that sell MP3s online. While CD Baby seems unspectacular at first glance, the best thing about this website is that the artists creating the music get up to six times more revenue from albums bought here than on other download websites.
As for sound quality and price, this website is also very good, and there are no snags with copy protection. However, buyers shouldn't expect to find anything mainstream here - it is all independent music.
Spotify
While the aforementioned websites are good, the King of legal MP3 websites has to be Spotify. While it is presently only available in the UK, Sweden, France, Norway, Spain and Finland, it is believed it will soon spread to the rest of the world.
The concept is amazing. One can listen to as much music as they want from the Spotify library for absolutely nothing. The only hardship the listener has to endure is an irregular advert (which is how the artists get their money). While the music can't be put on a portable music player, this is a very easy way to listen to music on a PC at home, and is well worth downloading if in the catchment area.
In short, Spotify is like Napster, apart from it is free, and doesn't have the history of being an illegal download website. It may not have the library of the likes of Napster, but more artists are being added all the time.
What If Spotify Isn't Availiable In My Country?
Any of the above are good, although Amazon is the most well rounded. It has good deals price wise, and the copy protection isn't as restrictive as the likes of iTunes.
Readers should make their voices heard as far as Spotify goes, though. It is definitely worth having a free, legal music service which has the majority of the music one could ever wish for, and there will be many others in as yet unsupported countries that share that opinion.
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