Online music services have exploded onto the Internet scene as a result of copyright violations and legal issues surrounding online music sharing. It seems everyone wants to sell you legal music these days, and they have developed some really good online programs and resources to help you along. Keep in mind, that THESE resources are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and they are NEVER out-of-stock!!
Music players include Windows Media Player (free if you own Microsoft's operating system) which provides access to various online stores directly from within the program. This really simplifies accessing sites and purchasing songs, as well as automatically adding purchased songs to your play list or music library. You can download this program from the Microsoft Download Center.
Another great music player is iTunes. They have arguably the largest and most popular music program possibly because of it's close relationship with iPod. Also, the software is fully compatible with both the Microsoft Windows and MAC operating systems!
Subscription music sites offer online music purchase as well as the ability to access and play "millions" of songs. These sites require subscription (at a reasonable cost), and for the most part you must be online in order to access the subscription music. However, if you purchase songs they are usually downloaded to your PC and then can be played whenever you want.
Subscription sites definitely have their value if you don't mind the monthly expense and you are a heavy music listener. However, when the monthly subscription cost was added to the monthly Internet access cost the dollars start to add up. I found the subscription costs associated with most web sites to be an unnecessary expense for ONE reason alone... WINAMP!
If you run the WINAMP program, it provides access to the vast majority of current hit songs for free! It also provides access to music services provided by various third party companies like AOL and XM RADIO. Using WINAMP, you can listen to songs, watch music videos, and access streaming music channels all for FREE. If you are looking for older songs, this may not be the best route for you though as most of the music is current. They do NOT maintain a substantial archive of older songs.
Good luck with your online music services! This definitely beats driving to a store, buying a CD, then finding that you only really like one or two songs!!
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