Music Website

[Derf]

I've been buying a lot of music online lately from a site called ***********. They have a pretty good selection of music, and, best of all, most albums are only $1 (US). Yes, that's albums, not individual tracks. They have currently around 1.1 million tracks, so their selection isn't quite as good as some other places, but each track is only ten cents (US).

It works a little differently than other sites in that you have to start with at least a $20 balance. You then can download that much in songs/albums, refilling the balance as you see fit. It seems to be legitimate to me, and I haven't had any trouble with any of the stuff I've downloaded so far. Plus (here's the real reason I'm posting this here, selfish, greedy person that I am), if you use the link provided above and sign up, I'm supposed to get $5 worth of free music.

If anyone else has had any experience with these guys, feel free to post about it.

[Rev. Powell]

Sorry, buy I don't think the site is totally legit.  See http://www.emusic.com/messageboard/viewTopic.html?topicId=45010#278518. 

[Derf]

Everything I found about it in a quick Google search focused on the sound quality/DRM aspects, which is generally good. I will take what the emusic people say as mostly true, though with some slight reservations since it is a competing site. I knew it was a grey market site, but I'm as concerned about my credit card security as I am about artist's cuts, and they are legit as far as charges go (so far).

I use it mainly to experiment; I'll pay a dime for a track by an unknown artist, and if I like it after a couple of listens, I'm much more likely to buy a full album or more tracks from someplace else. Plus, most of the stuff I've bought from them is by people who are now dead (I listen to a lot of older stuff). The only stuff I've downloaded by still-living artists is stuff that I have kind of wanted, but never badly enough to even pay the five or six dollars for in the cutout bins. I'm probably just making excuses, and I'll probably stop using the site when my current balance runs out, but I can't say I'm cheating anybody when I wouldn't have paid more than a buck for the album anyway. Or when I am buying songs that I have already bought in other formats.

[Derf]

I do my best to be honest, and my last post was only halfway there. I'm leaving it, but I modified the original post to remove the website and link. True, the site is apparently legal by Russian law, and they are apparently a legitimate business there. I started buying there without really stopping to consider artist's cuts, and that is something I do support. I only considered my own pocketbook, which is lean enough, particularly where entertainment is involved. What I said in my last post was true as far as it went, but it didn't go far enough; it rang hollow to me even as I wrote it, and I was just making excuses. I don't feel right about leaving the link up, and I will stop using the site.

Rev. Powell, if you read this, karma to you for getting a man back on the straight and narrow.

[Rev. Powell]

I questioned myself, to tell the truth, on whether I should post that.  I didn't want to potentially take any money (or free downloads) out of your pockets.  But I was sure I had read something fishy about that site before.  And anyone can still decide whether they want to use it or not, it's just a little bit more information.  I personally don't object to you having the link in the post.