Legally Filling My iPod - Napster v. iTunes

I have been trying to figure out how to legally fill my iPod with music for the least amount of money. First I tried Napster and then settled on Apple iTunes.

Here is the scoop:

Napster is not compatible with an iPod, but they claim that millions of songs are burned onto  CD's and then loaded into iPods. They are advertising "never pay 99 cents a track again", but when you go to burn the songs on a CD, they charge you 99 cents a song. I have to say that I like the Napster interface and search much better than iTunes, but it's too much of a pain to move the songs from Napster to my iPod.

iTunes could learn a thing or two from Napster's interface. On Napster, I was able to search for a song and then search for artists in the same genre, there is no such search on iTunes.

I ended up downloading 22 songs from iTunes, uploading a Marshill Worship 1 CD into my iTunes library, and then some other MP3's that I had saved on my hard drive from my church, live worship music stuff. I now have 45 songs or about 3 hours worth of music and it cost me a little more than 20 bucks and I was able to load it onto my wife's iPod as well.

Here is a little of what's playing, shamelessly influenced by the 80's:

Pride - U2
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Shellshock - New Order
I Got You - Split Enz
Chaka Khan - Aint Nobody
Listen Like Theives - INXS
Lips Like Sugar - Echo & The Bunnymen
Under The Milky Way - The Church
The Metro - Berlin
Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs
Cities in Dust - Siouxsie and The Banshees

Comments

[QBlog]

Is it really illegal to fill your iPod with songs you didn't "buy?" Are any of the songs you bought, songs you already bought in some form years ago? Is it illegal for your best friend to give you a mix CD of his favorite songs, and then upload that to your iPod? Also consider that the songs you're paying a buck for, are a lower quality audio than what you purchase in CD, Cassette Tape or LP and it comes with use restrictions, unlike the CD, Cassette Tape or LP.

Just asking you to reconsider your use of the word legally. It concedes that this method, developed and controlled by the monopolistic and archaic RIAA, is the only legitimate method of acquiring music. It's not. If I had an iPod I'd fill it up for free and do so legally.

[Ty]

I was speaking specifically about downloading music through Limewire, Kazaa or other. I was going to say something about having to purchase the music, yet the music on Kazaa and Limewire was probably purchased at some point by someone.

So why doesn't a techno savvy fella like you have an iPod?

[studentx]

It's still legal to rip from Internet Radio Stations. I say still since it has not been MADE illegal yet. It's a great way to get FREE music.

I know many people might think its illegal, but its just as legal as taping from broadcast radio or tv, its called "time-shifting", if I remember correctly. It's consider fair-use. Something the RIAA wants to kill. (Sharing mix CDs with family and friends is also considered fair-use as I understand it.)

You simply get a STREAM RIPPING program (freeware) and it will chop MP3s streams into individual MP3s. It works great with Internet Radio Stations that don't run commericals.

[OSX]

Head down to the local used CD store. You'll find tons of stuff for $5.99 or less. With 10 or more songs per CD you'll pay no more than $0.60 per song. You'll have the added benefit of being able to to do whatever you want with the CD (rip/burn to whatever music device iPod or other) since it has zero DRM and have a far superior quality than any online music store.

[jbelkin]

If you prefer to buy CD's - the bmg music club is quite reasonable. You get 12 Cd's for buying 1 at regular price. You do pay for s&H which is around $4 a CD so ultimately, you pay about $60 for 12 CD's - not bad - a price you can't even get at a lot of used places.

For 80's and 90's stuff - there are a lot of box set good deals at Costco also.

while itunes does not really have a 'artist genre' - the imixes can be insightful.

[Electric Monk]

Napster might have a nice feature but the rest of their site. Ugh.

Try allofmp3.com if you need an alternative. It's Russian and it's cheap.

I still use iTunes though but that's because I like it.

[mjl]

Qblog wrote:

"Is it illegal for your best friend to give you a mix CD of his favorite songs, and then upload that to your iPod?"

The answer is yes it is illegal. Your friend has the right to make a mix CD for his own personal use, but he does not have the right to reproduce any of his purchased songs for distribution in any manner, whether it be for free or not. The copyright holder of the songs (usually the artist and the record label among other) all have to grant person for this use, which of course they do not.

[Ty]

I have a lot of personal CD's that I haven't loaded yet, but going out and buying CD's, even used doesn't seem like a great idea. Aside from a few select CD's, (U2 - Joshua Tree, being one), I don't like all of the songs. So paying 60 cents a song for a used CD (and getting 5 songs that I don't like) doesn't make sense when I can spend 99 cents a song and get exactly what I want.

[Stuart]

Napster have a 2 week free trial here over in the UK..saves having to purchase it fully, but by the looks of it and when using it, I actually like it, and may continue after the trial is over.

[Carry]

Alrighty, I'm new to this whole I-pod thing. I was just wanting to know if I could download songs that I don't have a cd for, for the price that you talked about in your first post.

Like if I wanted to put a green day song on (but I don't have the cd) would it still be as cheap?

Thanks!!!

[Ty - Work At Home Dad]

Songs are 99 cents each at iTunes. I find that to be a pretty good deal. I can also share the somgs from computer to computer via my wireless network.

[Tbuck]

OK I just want to know if you absolutely have to use Itunes for Ipod. Because it sounds so stupid to pay 99 cents when you can download limewire or whatever and put those songs on another mp3 player for free. Why cant you put songs for free on Ipod and if you can telle me.

[Tbuck]

Me again email me if you can please

[Ty - Work At Home Dad]

The recording industry has been sueing people that download music for free via Limewire and Kazaa. It's not only no worth the risk to me, but I also know people in the recording industry that claim to be hurt by this type of downloading. Not your U2 type bands, but folks that work in the industry.

[raul]

What about gettin subscribed to some newsgroup (paying for it) and downloading mp3s from them... is it legal or illegal?
This legal/illegal matter is not so clear. It seems that evryone wins except the one whos bying the music.

[Adam]

Ty, yes, the presidents of these monopolistic music conglomerates will have to settle for a jag instead of a lamb... the poor guy...

[sgfsfd]

Is there really a noticeable difference between i tunes and limewire

[Mike]

I picked up an iPod for my 12 year old this Christmas. She received a Napster gift card from my brother. The Napster songs will not directly load into the iPod.

Are you saying I have to burn them on a CD first and then iTunes application will load the purchased songs into the iPod?

[Gina]

I am in the same boat as Mike. My kids both rec'd the iPod nano's for Christmas and a total of 4 iTunes cards. However, for my son's birthday they gave him Napster gift cards----150 downloads. It sounds like I basically cannot use it. However, if I save it to an audio CD and then pull it up my "apple/iPod/iTunes" will accept the CD...is that correct? And then is it legal, because I have already paid for the music---like I would a CD from any store---but I loaded the CD by myself. Am I making any sense here??

[hannah]

r u sure napster is compatable with ipod...if so how do u do it...download it onto a cd from napster first then upload it onto itunes and then to ur ipod???

[blog]

I think you can unDRM the windows media files (downloaded from napster) and then convert them to MP3's (so you can fill your IPOD)

unDRM (would call it time shifting, but legal issues arrise)

convering and filling your IPOD w/mp3 that you pay for ($15/month napster service) I guess its legal

[mimo]

-Go to napster.
-Downlowd the music you want.
-Burn it to a cd.
-Play the cd through itunes as you nromally would, but simply import it through the "file" menu.
-once the desired songs are in itunes, put htem on your ipod.
Good luck, cheers, mimo.

[unknown]

You can download a program like MediaMonkey that will convert your music so you can put it on your ipod.