A Closer Look

Features

• 128 MB on-board memory; expandable up to 256 MB via MMC cards
• Supports MP3 or WMA files; upgradeable for future music formats; PC and Mac compatible
• Integrated FM tuner, clock, and stopwatch; water and impact resistant
• Up to 10 hours' playback on one AAA battery; accepts NiMH rechargeables
• Includes earbuds, carry case with clip and armband, AAA battery, USB cable, and music management software

Digital Music for the Masses.
Your Guide to Buying MP3 Music Online.

By Walter L. Mora
Digital Music Editor

The Scenario
The way we buy, listen to and carry music has been revolutionized by the boom of technology in the past decade. What once was a trip to the local music store to buy a record, tape or CD is now done from the convenience of our own homes with just a few mouse clicks. Gone are the days when you had to search around town for a hard-to-find album or paying $20 for an album that has just one song you like. Now all you need is a credit card, a computer, Internet connection (the greater the speed, the better), software and/or membership (but not in all cases) and a portable digital music player (if you want your music "to go"). It's fairly simple with a countless number of web sites selling individual songs, partial or complete albums and even audio books to suit every taste out there. Now, there are many of you that like to search and download for songs without spending a penny but as the saying goes "you get what you pay for" - which in case of downloading so-called "free" music, is of poor quality, fake/corrupted copies, attached to a virus and more importantly, you may be subject to criminal prosecution. Buying MP3s guarantees high quality, legal digital versions of music you can utilize at home, office or on the road for the same price of an item on a value meal at your local fast food restaurant.

The Players
iPod, iRiver, Mojo, Rio - these are just some of the numerous MP3 players currently out on the market for sale. Some more popular than others, in various colors, storage space, sizes and price. Regardless of which player you decide to go with, you'll need one if you want to take your digital music with you - whether downloaded from an online vendor or from your very own music collection. Say good-bye to fragile CDs and cases or bulky CD storage magazines and welcome a compact digital player into your life that can store your entire music collection (up to 10,000 songs!). To take your collection with you, simply copy your tracks to your computer using any one of ripping software out there and transfer over to your player or visit any one of the online MP3 vendor sites below to search, purchase and download your music.

Most digital music players work seamlessly with online MP3 vendor sites/software making it fairly simple to download, store and enjoy your tunes in a matter of minutes. If such an option if not supported, as long as the player accepts the type of format the music has been recorded in, there should be no hassle in getting it on your player. This is where online sites differ from one another as some tend to digitize music files in particular formats to uphold copyright protection and limit illegal sharing and distribution. I strongly suggest you visit the sites below and read their system requirements to better understand what you need in your computer and what players are supported before purchasing one. You'll be surprised at the options

The Sites
Below are what I believe the Top 7 sites where you can purchase MP3 music files. They all vary in site layout, interface, cost, quality, file format, copyright protection (but all are legal once purchased) and device/system compatibility. Click through the sites and I'm confident you will find one to suit your taste and your digital music player. It's time to rock!

	iTunes Music Store Apple Computer leads the way again! Over a million songs from all five major labels, pre-release, rare, out-of-print and exclusive tracks are available for US99 cents each (US$10 average for complete albums, mp3 audio books also available). iTunes allows 30 second song previews along with radio station streaming and numerous playlist options. You can burn as many CD's as you want and use them on multiple computers, and can download files to the iPod (but not most other portables). In order to use the service you must download the iTunes player, available free for both Mac and Windows users.
	EMusic.com One of the first sites to sell music online, it offers regular MP3 files which are not restricted or copy-protected. Buy an entire CD, or just the tracks you want! Short samples of each track are provided. Great selection; many popular artists can be found here. Free 14-day trial with 50 free downloads (with membership subscription - can cancel any time during trial), and you don't need any special software. Prices start at US$9.99/month for 40 downloads.
	Weblisten.com Founded in December of 1997 in Spain, this site features over 250,000 MP3 and WMA titles from top artists. Songs may be purchased individually (two for US$1.60 or 1.5 euros, 10 for US$7.73, 25 for US$18.52) or you may subscribe for one, six, or 12 months (29-349 euros). In Spanish, English, German, French, Italian and Greek.
	Napster 2.0 The new Napster isn't a file-sharing service but an online music store owned by Roxio. Napster has content agreements with the five major record labels, as well as hundreds of independents, and offers over a million tracks. 30-second clips of each track are offered and can be purchased for US$.99 per song or US$9.95/album. Requires download of the Napster software (Light version also available).. A US$9.95/month subscription is optional and includes special price breaks on multiple downloads. A good iTunes alternative
	MusicMatch Downloads MusicMatch has long been known for its music jukebox software for creating and organizing MP3s. Beginning with version 8.1, MusicMatch Jukebox incorporates an extensive library of music you can purchase for US99 cents each or US$9.99 for most albums (it is currently available only to US residents). Unfortunately, you can't browse the selection without first installing the software. Offers similar features to iTunes and Napster.
	RealPlayer Music Store The makers of the RealPlayer offer over 500,000 songs recorded in high-quality, 192 kbps AAC format. Download free RealPlayer (to access the store, or subscribe to the RealRhapsody radio-type service). Selected songs are only US49 cents! Others cost about the same as other services.
	Rhapsody Listen.com's subscription service costs US$9.95 per month (or US$24.95/quarter) and features music from EMI and BMG. The music must be played with the Rhapsody player, and it only works while connected to the Internet. Songs may be burned to CD for US99 cents each. Radio Plus Internet Radio service also available for US$4.95/month or Us$9.90/quarter - listen to over 50 pre-programmed radio stations, customize stations, skip songs and all commercial-free.