I'm pretty sure I'll be correct when I say, amazon.com will be the next itunes store for selling music. Here's why:
1.) the big names are showing up
It took a while to get noticed, and now a lot of the bigger names have the "MP3 album" option on amazon if someone is only interested in a song or two, and it is still less expensive than buying a used cd. Nowhere near what itunes can offer, but its much better than it was when it first launched.
2.) price is reasonable
allofmp3 pricing this is not, but its reasonable and on par with the other sellers online.
3.) mp3 files play anywhere
The fact remains that music downloaded off of itunes is best mated to itunes software or an ipod. While aac (what itunes sells) is technically superior to mp3, the fact remains it doesn't play on every piece of music software or on every DAP produced. Unless you physically go against the mp3 standard, mp3 files will play on any DAP, on any software media player, and in many car stereos.
4.) no DRM crap
Can't put licensing restrictions on an mp3 file...they go anywhere and play in anyone's computer. You can't beat that...its as good as the actual cd.
5.) high quality encoding
I can confirm that (depending on what album you buy) you either receive a 256kbps FHG-encoded mp3 file or a -V0 Lame 3.9x encoded mp3 file. Sign me up for whatever golden-eared Kool-Aid you're drinking if you can tell the difference between that and the source it came from. Besides the fact that the music is well beyond transparency at that bitrate for the format, most people's equipment would make it impossible to hear a difference.
I don't know how much amazon is selling, but the fact that they're getting licenses to sell the popular cds in the mp3 format is saying that they're in this for the long haul, and they've seen the mistakes that other places have made (low bitrates, drm, bad selection, etc.) and made sure not to repeat them.
Thoughts?
