They’ve been around for a while, but I only ever downloaded midi files. Then, I got the 256K little refurbished SanDisk MP3 player from Woot. Well, in the package was an offer for free music downloads from this place calle eMusic.
I figured what the hell and signed up for the monthly minimum. Less than ten bucks a month. Downloaded some tunes. And you know what? I liked it!
After a few weeks, I tried some other download places when I was looking for some Disney tunes, but the ones I tried out had limits on the music. One of them I bought and downloaded two albums. Then the computer crashed and I lost the music. To get them again, I’d have to have another license generated and for some reason, it wouldn’t work for me. Luckily, I’d already bought those same two albums on CD so the download license crap limit wouldn’t be a problem. I can make as many compilations as I like. Brian’s two trucks have CD players. The Mustang has a CD player. The little Bronco has a CD player. My Escape has a CD player. We’ve got CD players in the bedroom, the living room, the exercise room and the office. If I want a CD of the same music for each one, damnit, I want a CD for the same music for each one. To hell with this limit crapola. I won’t buy from iTunes and I won’t buy from Pure or whatever the name of that place was. DRM be damned. I’m not making these to sell or give away, they’re for my own personal use.
Well, eMusic doesn’t have those restrictions. There’s no sort of magic coding on the downloads that prevent me from burning ten disks of the same album. The idea of magic coding chills my blood. Big brother on my computer, if you like.
So, I checked out some of the other music available at eMusic. Found some really relaxing covers of favorites. Artists I’d never heard of before. And some very soothing guitar music, Celtic music, instrumentals and the like. I haven’t done much searching for well known artists, but I haven’t seen the need. I like the off brand artists. *grin* (By the way, the little ditty behind the little kitten video came from an eMusic download.)
Anyway, I’ve decided to finish out my BMG music club membership, get the freebies I’ve got coming, maybe buy one or two more CDs so that I can get the additional three points for one more freebie and once they’re all used up, I’m done with them. I upped my eMusic membership to the max and I’ll stick with them. I get seventy five downloads a month for $19.95, the cost of a CD. I get the music I like. It’s a win-win situation.
So, if anybody would like to join, let me know. The minimum is $9.95 a month. I think it’s something like thirty downloads, maybe more. And if you decide to join and use me as a reference, you get 25 free downloads and I get free downloads. And they have a thing where if you want to download more, you can pay for more. The membership amount runs out each month if you don’t download them all, but the extras stay until you use them all up, there’s no time limit on those.
If anyone had told me I’d like this so much, I’d have laughed. But I do. I like it a lot.
I like free stuff, too.