Music Downloads and Free Trials

1. Emusic millions of mp3 downloads yours to keep

Click here to sign up at eMusic

The third model is a mix of the first two. With Emusic, you pay a monthly subscription fee which gives you a certain number of free downloads. Above that number, you pay per track. Emusic offers a free 14 day/25 download trial. The Emusic format is MP3, which is the most versatile audio format. Most every portable player supports them, and you can easily burn them to CD and do with as you please. (International and US -- not all tracks available worldwide).

I have also used Emusic, and while it can't compare with Rhapsody for selection, it does have some benefits. Firstly, as a limited music downloader, basic subscription was enough for me. Second, the fact that it comes as mp3s with no limitations was awesome. Most importantly, Emusic is international, so users in Europe and elsewhere can sign on, get the free trial and download mp3s. Rhapsody and Napster are US only.

The eMusic Trial: 50 mp3s for taking a month free trial.

2. Napster - find every song easily

Click here to try Napster's free 7-day trial

A subscription service is Napster. Remember them? Used to be file sharing, but now on the up and up. They offer a 7 day free trial. They have two subscription models - $12.95 for unlimited access in their software, and $14.95/month for Napster to Go, allowing unlimited mp3 dowloads for your portable devices.

I have not used Napster, so I can't vouch for them. Here's Napster Music Download Service information:

The Napster Trial: 7 days access to all features

Napster To Go, at $14.95 a month, you can:

1. Search the full Napster catalog.
2. Listen to an unlimited number of full tracks on your computer through the Napster software interface.
3. Download and transfer your downloaded subscription tracks to up to three compatible portable devices or mobile phones. Napster uses WMA format, which is as good as mp3 format (Napster software only).
4. To burn to CD, you must separately purchase tracks.
5. Participate in Napster's online forums and compare tastes with other Napsterites.
6. Share music with others.

With A Napster Regular Subscription, at $12.95 a month, you can do all of the above, but cannot transfer tracks to a portable device. If you wish to, you must pay for each track, appx. 99c.

Click here to get Napster--free 7-day trial

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3. iTunes - stock your iPod

The second model is Itunes. Itunes is a proprietary download music store. You choose the tracks, listen to a thirty second sample, and then make the purchase at 99 cents. The music is then available to listen to on your computer or your iPod, or to create a custom CD with. (US residents).

iTunes has access to all the music you need, but you can only catch 30 seconds before you will need to purchase the track. It is made for the iPod, so you iPoders probably already know it. The software player is very good.

iTunes gives you the software free, but does not advertise a free trial.