iTunes vs. Amazon
One of these things is not like the other…
So I am not very interested in DRM laden music. Not because I give my music purchases away … nah, if I want to let a friend listen I let them listen but I don’t go sharing music all over “the internets” nor the “series of connected tubes”.
Amazon’s 2007 effort into digital downloads for music is an interesting and very viable competitor to iTunes. None of their tracks have DRM and are in MP3, 256kbps format. iTunes too has non-DRM music under the “iTunes Plus” rubric. I don’t know the extent of either library but one thing certainly confuses me today.
I went to check on the new Joni Mitchell album “Shine”. She’s one of my all time favorite artists and I definitely don’t want lower quality DRM tracks for this album. Funny thing this album, it is on the StarCon,LLC d/b/a Hear Music label which happens to be owned by Star Bucks by those of us none the wiser. Why is this funny? Well, the album available in iTunes is DRM laden, but, Amazon offers the album in DRM free MP3 goodness, and for a dollar less to boot! What makes this even funnier? Well, the recent brouhaha betwixt Apple Inc. and Starbucks and iTunes whereby one with an iPhone (that’s me) or an iPod Touch could happen upon a Star Bucks coffee outlet and hop onto a free wifi hot spot and buy music!
So why would iTunes have the bum deal of DRM only Joni Mitchell “Shine” but Amazon get’s the love?