Music is a part of man’s everyday life. That is why music players, such as iPod and iPhone, are valuable possessions nowadays. Listening to music from your favorite gadgets can be done in two ways. First, you can do traditional way of downloading songs, transferring them to your iTunes, and syncing your iPod to the computer. Or, you can go for streaming websites which let you listen for free.
We list 10 music service programs/websites below which you can use for listening to your favorite songs –5 for downloading songs and 5 for streaming. Enjoy!
Music Download Programs
iTunes
As you may well know by now, iTunes is the number one music program for audiophiles. It is not just some program that lets you sync your iPod to your computer. It is also for downloading songs! It contains all original tracks, has a long list of available songs and is 100% safe. All songs and albums should be purchased at $0.99 and $9.99, respectively. As all of their tracks are original, the sound quality is excellent ensuring 100% listening enjoyment.
Napster
Napster is the all-time favorite of music-lovers. Why is it number 2? For one, some features are not available for iPod. For instance, the Napster to Go doesn’t “rent” songs to iPod, but does so for other portable players. However, the reason it is still in the list is because it sells songs which can be transferred to your iPod. Given the quality of its sounds, it can be compared to iTunes in terms of sound excellence.
Real Rhapsody
Rhapsody functions just like iTunes –or even better. It has several features that iTunes does not have. First, it can be accessed everywhere, with whatever computer you are using. It functions even without the software; you can access it directly using young web browser and rest assured your songs/playlists will be saved still. Also, its easy-to-use interface can beat iTunes’ and Napsters’.
With almost the same features, you expect the price of the songs and albums to be similar as those of iTunes and Napster. Despite this, it is placed third because it is not accessible in some parts of the globe.
Jamendo
Jamendo is another website for dowloading. Although not as popular as the three above, it has 300,000 tracks available giving you high odds that your songs will be there. Moreover, it is totally free and legal. This is totally worth trying.
eMusic
This is a curious case of music service website. Although they have the songs of old music legends, they actually have a limited list of mainstream songs due to licensing and ownership. Why did it get to top 5? Well, it offers the up-and-coming, independent, and indie singers. For its unique role in music downloading, it is a website to visit.
Streaming Services
Pandora
Pandora is a download/streaming website which can be accessed through the computer or straight from your gadget. Yes, the fact that it can be accessed straight from your iPod makes it one of the top music service programs. Its “intelligent” program auto-searches songs that you may like, based on your manual searches. Downloading the songs you have streamed is also possible, but for a price.
Maestro.FM
Maestro allows you to search songs online, stream them and manage them into an album or library. This library is accessible online, wherever you are, as long as you have internet connection. It is iPhone compatible, playing songs in your computer’s Maestro account, even if it is not stored in your iPhone’s library.
Last.FM
Last.fm is like Pandora but gives more emphasis to social networking, allowing you to play songs from your friend’s account. Last.fm is known for looking for songs that may pass your taste. However, this is available only in the computer program and not in the iPhone app. Moreover, there are some lags in streaming, which cannot be experienced using Pandora.
Simplify Media
This streaming website is quite different from the others. Whereas the others would stream songs from the internet straight to your gadget, this streams from your iTunes or Winamp account. This is better for some, especially for those who have already made a playlist in their iTunes but cannot transfer the songs due to memory space limitation.
AOL Radio
The AOL Radio is an iPhone application that lets you listen to online radio stations. It may seem contradictory to want to listen to radios when you already have a music player, but sometimes you just get tired of set songs and want to listen to radios, all with the talks and breaks between songs. AOL gives you the experience.
We have just finished presenting 10 music service programs for you. Try any of them and let us know how your music experience has been.
About Aurora Freegard
