iTunes vs Rhapsody
 

I'm probably going to be getting some type of ipod for the gym, and haven't downloaded mp3s since they closed down the free Napster years ago..

I'm looking at either Rhapsody or iTunes for downloading music. What are the differences between the two? Which is a better value for the cost? Which has a better library? I want to be able to get podcasts as well, and I know itunes has those as well.

Wow, so many different questions there.
First, are you getting an iPod, or some other brand MP3 player?
That was, of course illegal. There are plenty of other ways to illegally download music these days.
If you are getting an iPod, you use iTunes. If you are getting another brand of MP3 player, you would use Rhapsody or some other service.
I couldn't tell you; I went with the iPod and iTunes, but I typically purchase CDs and rip them.
You don't need iTunes for podcasts, but iTunes certainly makes it easier. There's a freeware application, works on Mac or Windows, called iPodder, if you want to check them out.

IPod's new podcast feature is pretty good and it keeps all your downloading stuff in one application, so you don't have to go to ipodder...

I'm probably going to get an iPod.

Is iTunes a month subscript or per song? or both?

99 cents a song, and most albums are 9.99 if there are more than 10 songs. No monthly subscription.

Since you said "for exercise" in your original post, it would probably be best for you to get a solid-state iPod. That means either a Shuffle or a Nano, depending upon the size of your music collection.

Really? I was going to get the Hard Drive ones, so they can skip? or more sensitive to being banged around?

So no monthly subscript for iTunes.

What about Rhapsody? I believe it has a monthly fee, what are the song choices like?

The full-sized iPod, and the iPod Mini, have about a 20 minute buffer; however, if you shake the iPod through that whole period, it'll stop at the end because it can't access the next track. For jogging, this is often a problem; for weight lifting, not so much.
I'm an iPod user, so I know nothing about Rhapsody, except that you won't be able to play the songs on your iPod*.


*sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Rhapsody keeps trying to make it work, and Apple keeps changing the iPod software so that it doesn't.

Excessive shaking can kill hard drives. If you have a HD one, wear it on an arm band to minimize that...but ideally, use a solid state one. It's not an Ipod thing, it's a harddrives don't like shaking thing.

:eek:. . . . . . . ...

sheesh... :rolleyes:

don't clutter up this with a thread jack.. use the search button...

i use allofmp3.com whole albums for 75cents to a dollar

and as far as i know its legal!

loophole or no loophole its great

Yeah, I use allofmp3.com as well. I just dont want to pay for a DRM file. Its not so much that I need to be able to give the file to friends/family. I hardly ever do that (not being sarcastic). I just need to move the files around a lot as I often find myself reinstalling operating systems. ANd I have multiple computers. Dealing with a DRM file seems like it would be a gigantic pain in the ass. I just do non DRM. Im also changing my computer hardware alot. I got a new motherboard once, and the windowsXP I got from Dell with my computer refused to install. Shit like that makes me stay away from DRM files.

allofmp3.com is mp3 files, which have no DRM (means Digital Rights Managment, should be called Digital Right Restrictions, or Anti-Fair Use)

I have used both Rhapsody and iTunes and have an Ipod player. I
enjoyed Rhapsody but got tired of paying $9.95 each month. I now
use only itunes but it works much better if you have a high speed
isp as the playback feature will not work very good with dialup.

Making the MP3 tunes work on your player
 

What if you play the tunes using your computer and record
them using some program like TOTAL RECORDER? I did that
with a bunch of my purchased stuff from Rhapsody and it
played back sounding ok if I did not record it so that I
used too much volume during the recording.CDs work better
and sound better as the tracks are all spelled out using
itunes,but the Total recorder tunes were pretty good as
TR converts audio signals to MP3 signals and Total Recorder
program is not very expensive to purchase and download.

Here's a vote for the iPod/iTunes combination. Esp. with Apple pioneering video support, I think even more great things are coming to the iPod. iTunes also makes it very easy to burn CDs and compress music, although this application is notably available without an iPod.

The iPod (whichever one/two/three is right for you...standard, nano, or shuffle) is an excellent and durable device.

well said, DRM is risky in a lot of situations. i don't bother with onine music stores. it's not hard to find music to steal *ahem*. if i really like something or i can't find it, i buy the CD and rip it myself. fifteen bucks now and then isn't that bad, plus i'm a sucker for pretty album covers and lyric sheets :o

I went with iTunes and really dig it. Rhapsody wasn't compatable with my ipod, I did the trial sub and cancelled it the same day.

Thanks for the feedback!

It's not stealing. It's copyright infringement. It's really annoying when people call it stealing (thanks to the RIAA).