Amazon MP3 Downloads vs. iTunes, Part 1

Amazon MP3 Downloads vs. iTunes, Part 1

I’m considering purchasing Feist’s The Reminder, so I thought this might be a good time to do some comparison shopping.

On iTunes, the album is $9.99, but includes an additional 2 songs. One is a remix of Sealion and the other is a demo of The Water, two things I care absolutely nothing about. There doesn’t appear to be a DRM-free version available.

On Amazon’s MP3 Downloads store, the album is $8.99. This includes the same 13 songs found on the $9.99 CD, but has the added advantages of being encoded at 256kbps and it’s DRM-free. So, for $1.00 less than iTunes or the CD version, I don’t have to hassle with DRM and I don’t have to wait for the CD to be arrive via mail.

While I was checking prices, I remembered Raul. I’m a big fan of Raul Malo, but my collection has fallen woefully behind. What can I say? I’m not an efficient fan. His album, You’re Only Lonely is also $9.99 on iTunes. Again, there doesn’t appear to be a DRM-free version available.

On Amazon, the CD is a whopping $18.98, but the MP3 version is $8.99. Again, for $1.00 less than iTunes, I get a DRM-free version of the album. The savings over the CD version is a real plus.

Malo’s Marshmallow World & Other Holiday Favorites is $7.99 at iTunes and includes a bonus track, a live version of Santa Claus is Back in Town, but you have to purchase the entire album to get the track.

Amazon sells the CD version for $9.97 and the MP3 version for $8.99. Neither version includes the iTunes bonus track, but the CD version includes a live version of Blue Christmas. Because I’m such a fan, I’m tempted to purchase all three versions, but in reality I’ll probably only purchase the $8.99 version from Amazon because it’s worth a dollar to lose the DRM.

All in all, it looks like Amazon is coming out the real winner. I expect that I’ll be buying a lot from them in the future, especially as more and more titles become available.

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