AOL Offering Music Catalog for Downloads

new york times ^ | 2/26/03 | SAUL HANSELL

[BrooklynGOP]

For $8.95 a month, users will be able to listen to a catalog of music, now at 250,000 songs and growing, on their computers.

Does anybody know what quality the stream will be?

[k2blader]

Bump for later read.

[habs4ever]

Interesting, at least they are getting more creative, but it could even be improved.Guarantee CD quality downloads and offer up to 74-80mins of downloadable music per subscription, or flat fee. No more than $12 per 74 mins of music.

[BrooklynGOP]

Guarantee CD quality downloads and offer up to 74-80mins of downloadable music per subscription

They will probably have streams of all the cd's... If the streams are CD quality.... well, there are ways to rip them :)

[jz638]

a subscriber can listen to MusicNet's downloads on no more than two computers. They also cannot be copied to other devices or sent to other people.

I give it two weeks before a teenager figures out how to bypass these limitations.

[Sloth]

In the next few weeks, AOL is going to introduce an improved $15-a-month service, with a bundle of content and services meant for people who already buy broadband connections from their cable or telephone companies.

$15? Hmmm, interesting offer, but I'm not that desperate for cash. I think AOL would have to pay me at least $25 or $30 a month to accept their service. Although if I never had to login and use it, or let anyone know that I had AOL, I might take $20 a month.

[Servant of the Nine]

This is a repackaging of the "Rahapsody" program that Time Warner started offering to Roadrunner customers a month ago. In the Rhapsody Version for $8.95 you get unlimited MP3 quaolity streaming to listen, and software to build your own playlists. To Burn CDs you buy tracks at $1.00 each for full CD quality downloads.

I am getting my money's worth out of Rhapsody.

So9

[BrooklynGOP]

the Rhapsody Version for $8.95 you get unlimited MP3 quaolity streaming to listen, and software to build your own playlists

If these streams are CD quality then you can rip them and burn for free.

[Servant of the Nine]

If these streams are CD quality then you can rip them and burn for free.

Nope, not without way too much trouble to save a buck.
The streaming listening tracks are MP3 quality, and all tracks of both types are available only to the Rhapsody software.

That's not to say I can't move the CD to my other machine and rip it.

So9

[BrooklynGOP]

The streaming listening tracks are MP3 quality, and all tracks of both types are available only to the Rhapsody software.

MP3 is a compression format. Hence, there is no such term as "mp3 quality". Find out of what the compression rate is to determine the quality. Generally 128kb/s (roughly 8:1 compression) is acceptable as CD quality(though many prefer 192kb/s). If the streams are at least at 128kb/s you can rip them and burn them. There are apps available which will intercept sound streams from other applications...

[colette_g]

If the streams are at least at 128kb/s you can rip them and burn them. There are apps available which will intercept sound streams from other applications...

Sure can, try Total Recorder from http://www.highcriteria.com/ , $11.95US to register. I've also had at least one free upgrade from them. It also has a scheduler built in to start recording at a pre-set time, e.g. if you want to record a show on an internet radio station. Records direct to MP3's. Best money I've spent for a long time ...

[Servant of the Nine]

MP3 is a compression format. Hence, there is no such term as "mp3 quality"

I don't believe MP3 is a lossless compression. Like JPG photo compression, quality can vary from mediocre to rotten depending on the compression ratio, but there is no way to get all the original back from it.

So9

[upchuck]

Screw all this "dollars per month" stuff. Give me a datbase of songs to buy from. I will "charge" my account with, say, $25. Then I get to download 25 songs ($1/per song). No drafting my checking account or credit card every month, no restrictions on what I do with the song I download.

Keep it simple and I bet they make big bucks.

[upchuck]

Oh, and in the meantime, there's always WinMX :)

[BrooklynGOP]

I don't believe MP3 is a lossless compression.

I never claimed it was. My point was that the term "mp3 quality" is not really helpful since it can be 32k/s or 256k/s. Sure you'll loose quality, but at I bet you won't be able to tell the difference at 192k/s (and higher bitrate) compression.

[BrooklynGOP]

Yep. That's the app I had in mind. I have it lying around somewhere, but still didn't get a chance to try it.. There are some wicked ambient/dnb net stations out there.

[Bullish]

This service will be worthless and will fail.

[Senator Pardek]

I bet you won't be able to tell the difference at 192k/s (and higher bitrate) compression.

Why do some folks use those high bitrates (300+)? It makes as much sense as sampling at 192kHz...

[BrooklynGOP]

Why do some folks use those high bitrates (300+)? It makes as much sense as sampling at 192kHz...

I think the difference between 128 and 192 is noticeable (specially the highs)...