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No, there is another that even provides ogg vorbis at q6, in addition to mp3 at 192.

AudioLunchbox

Cheers
/g

I use Audio Lunchbox, which lets you download in both 192kbit MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. I've also poked at Bleep, which currently supports MP3 and is thinking about FLAC.

Both of these are DRM-free and will give you files that work on Linux (or BeOS or PalmOS or an Amiga or a Newton or whatever).

Magnatune and AudioLunchbox also provide non-DRM formats (ALB has your choice of mp3 or Ogg Vorbis). ALB also frequently has sales, or gives away free songs, and while single tracks are normally a buck, whole albums don't go above $10. As others have pointed out, $10 a month is only a better deal if you actually do download at least ten tracks in that month. There just isn't that much good music out there -- better to pay only for what you do get, rather than what you might get.

ALB has been brought up before. It's more expensive, but you only buy what you download. All indie, no RIAA. I buy from them religiously and love their selection.

Personally, I've been doing just that. I also let retailers know why I buy some music and give other music a pass. A Boycott is a "drop in sales due to piracy" unless you actually let people know that you're boycotting the RIAA

Obligatory links:

• RIAA Radar allows you to determine if a recording is distributed by a RIAA-affiliate.
• Epitaph has some of the best indy punk music available
• Audio Lunchbox has a great selection of tunes for purchase in MP3 or OGG Vorbis formats

I stumbled on Audio Lunchbox by accident and I wondered why I hadn't heard about it. They've got mp3's and Ogg Vorbis, both around 192 kbps, no DRM at all, and you can download either mp3, Vorbis or both. (I just want oggs.) Ninety-nine cents, and the service has been good.

Listen to independent (usually college) radio. I spent my formative years listening to KXLU and KALX.

Listen to indie internet radio stations. A lot of people like KEXP; check the directories at shoutcast.com and icecast.org or your mp3's builtin directory (eg iTunes) (shameless plug - I run punk stream if you like punk)

Read indie newspapers, if available. L.A. Weekly if you're in Los Angeles, for example.

Read web sites that cover indie (pitchforkmedia.com is a start). Download stuff at random.

Go to music buying sites like audiolunchbox and magnatune, and listen to samples at random.

Ask friends for recommendations. Borrow stuff from them.

Hit alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.indie. Download stuff at random.

Go to indie record stores and buy stuff at random. I actually used to do this, buy something based on the cover art. Discovered some great stuff this way. And this was on a high school allowance.

All you need is a seed, and it can open up a whole new microgenre to explore.

Once you find something you like, research them. You'll often find information along the lines of "if you like X, you might like Y". Maybe a band member used to be in another band.

Look up that band's label's site. Often, indie labels have a common "sound" across their lineup, so you might like some of their label mates. Indie label sites usually have downloadable sample songs- download them.

And so on.

I do all these things. I take music seriously, it's a big part of my life. Sometimes it feels like work, to tell you the truth. But I'm driven by the idea that, no matter how much I like the music I've enjoyed in the past, there's something even more incredible out there.

I have a lot of CDs and I continue to buy a lot. But I also have a lot of downloaded music. I have a fairly clear conscience though. I genuinely feel that most indie bands wouldn't hold it against me that I downloaded their music to give it a listen, to see what they are about.

Does all the above sound like "too much effort"? Then, perhaps, music doesn't mean as much to you as me. That's cool.

Me- I'm not content to be fed stuff by commercial interests whose agenda run contrary to my search for interesting music. And I have the time and desire to invest in this pursuit. I can appreciate that others may not. Or maybe you're out in the sticks, with no broadband. In which case, I think you to resign yourself to a certain lifestyle, anyway.

That's why I don't live in the sticks :).

-h3

...any semblance of freedom or sanity--yes. Big Brother just might.

But even if BB does manage to turn the world of entertainment into a fascist police state... it won't last. Therefore I've stopped fretting.

If there are any of you out there who HAVE NOT tried out Oggs, Audio Lunchbox offers some free full-length samples for download. You can get them HERE

If there are any of you out there who HAVE NOT tried out Oggs, Audio Lunchbox offers some free full-length samples for download. You can get them HERE

It's nice to see these new players support open source audio formats like Ogg Vorbis. It's even nicer to see services like Audio Lunchbox and others offer Oggs for download.

• Bleep - Warp Records etc. (mp3)
• Audio Lunchbox - lots of independent music (mp3/ogg)

PS Having said that, I did actually buy the US/UK release of To The 5 Boroughs (which is not affected by the EMI 'protection' system). Don't blame groups for DRM and disc damage; blame the RIAA, their labels, and their stupid contracts.

I, for one, would be perfectly happy to pay for an iTunes-like service

Audiolunchbox

Seriously, I don't get paid by them. They just rock. No DRM, mp3 or ogg. Buy a single file or the whole CD.

Well said! Here's (as an AC so as not to whore the karma) an excellent comment by Linuxbaby, who works at the superb CDBaby service (hats off for being such an ethical company!):

Try some of the more open/competititive ones! (Score:5, Informative)
by linuxbaby (124641) * on 04:43 PM May 7th, 2004 ( #9085738)
(http://www.cdbaby.com/)

Worry not. There are many many MANY more to come that are being very competitive AND open. CD Baby is delivering over 250,000 songs to EACH of the companies below, and the norm for the smaller companies is to receive MP3 or even FLAC delivery.

So instead of whining about how some big major-label Universal album (where the artist hardly gets paid anyway) is DRM'd or expensive, be an independent thinker and go try some of the smaller services.

Emusic
Website for Mac, Windows, Linux where members can download up to 40 tracks per month of high-quality MP3 files. Has been around for YEARS doing both 99-cent downloads, and all-you-can-eat downloads for paid members. Has great catalog of indie label music - company is currently reforming.
AudioLunchbox
One of the first all-independent music download sites. Tracks retail for 99 and albums retail for $9.99. ALB pays out 59 per song and $5.90 per album.
NetMusic
Digital download and streaming service. We get 65 cents per downloaded song. Entire-album downloads usually retail at $9.99.
Emepe3.com
Website that primarily targets Latin America, USA and Spain. Tracks sell for 99 cents. We get 65 cents. Entire-album downloads are usually $9.99.
Etherstream
Website that offers a la carte downloads. Tracks sell for 99 cents. We get 65 cents. Entire-album downloads are usually $9.99.
Music4Cents
Retails independent music at very reasonable prices. Pays 55 cents per download. Sells independent music - they will sell CD Baby songs at $.69.
QTRnote
Artist gets about $.64.
TriaSite
TriaSite retails independent music downloads. Pays $.65 per download
Puretracks
Canada-only service that offers $.99 downloads. Website is currently available to Candian residents only. Puretracks is acting both as an online download retailer and a back-end service provider for other retailers. Downloads cost $.99 per track - artist gets about $.59 per track.
CatchMusic
Download site focusing on independent music. CatchMusic sells a la carte downloads at $1 each. Songs retail at $1 - artist gets about $.55 per song.
Viztas Digital Marketplace
Viztas Digital Marketplace will sell all kinds of digital media - not just music. Tracks retail for 99 and albums retail for $9.99. Vistaz pays out 60 per song and $6.10 per album. Viztas has not yet launched.
DiscLogic
A la carte downloads. Tracks sell for 99 cents. We get 65 cents. Entire-album downloads are usually $9.99.

** BEGIN added to original comment by AC poster **
CDBaby
CD Baby is a little online record store that sells CDs by independent musicians. I don't think they sell downloads, but I

You haven't looked at the site, nor have you read the article submission. MP3.com's sole purpose is NOT to sell legal downloads, just like everyone else. They are a multi-purpose site. Digital music news, user guides, compatibility guides, etc. I, for one, like the site. I think it's got a lot of useful info, it acts as sort of a catch-all for user discussion, and it even looks good. I hope they succeed in at least becoming a good, central source for digital entertainment.

I thought Apple Itunes, which looks like the field leader, was not making any profit at all, and was just using it as a tool to boost thier ipod sales.

I feel I have to address this since it seems to keep coming up. Apple might not be making any direct profit from download sales, and maybe neither is anyone else, but someone is, and that "someone" are labels. Given the notion that the business-end of the labels appear to be the least tech-savvy people on the planet, consider iTunes and the rest as the outsourced end of the labels' distribution methods. What I'm getting at is that the services probably aren't going to ever make the money they should in volume, but probably just enough to keep them around as another marketing tool for the labels'. It's like web-banners. You may never click on one, but if you see them enough, you're bound to become familiar with the service/product/etc. that the banner advertises.

Anyhow, wasn't one of the aims of the "downloaded music craze" to improve the quality of the product from the consumer point of view? Consider this: There's about seven or eight legal download services that I consider to be the "primary" services. Together, they make up a fairly large music catalog, and not of just pop music. I can buy a whole album's worth of music for considerably less than what I'd pay at a retail outlet, like a Sam Goody (nearly half the cost if you consider tax on a $17.99 album.) In nearly all the cases, I can burn a CD of the music, which means I can pretty much do anything with it after that. And for those of you that are running Linux, let me ask you this: would it kill you to go out and get a generic windows box, and set it up so that it specifically handles music only? I mean if you are that adamant about not using windows, then don't, but for christ's sake don't act like you have no other option. In most cases, if you don't like anything that iTunes or the like carries, then you won't be needing windows anyhow. Case in point: Audio Lunchbox. 192 Kbps .mp3 format downloads, accessible through a web browser on nearly any platform, and 100% free of DRM and other nonsense.

You have options, and it has gotten better. You still can't walk into a store and preview the music before you buy it, but you can with most of the legal download services. It's a pain in the ass nowadays to use P2P apps for downloads because it takes too damn long, even on my cable modem, mostly because I have to find it first, then I have to try and find a decent sound quality, and then there's the viruses, and what have you...99 cents, you have what you're looking for, right from the get go, it downloads fast, it sounds GOOD ENOUGH (I'm not an audiophile, nor do I care to be one, that's too much work for too little enjoyment)...it's basically a whole lot less of a pain in the ass.

I'm just trying to be optimistic about the whole "downloaded music craze" and hope that it only gets better as time progresses, because everything can stand to improve. If you ask me, we are at a much better place than we were 3 or 4 years ago. Granted we could have all gone without the bullshit lawsuits and the DRM/DMCA crap, but as history will tell you, if you can't learn from your mistakes, then you won't be around long enough to keep making them.

So instead of whining about how some big major-label Universal album (where the artist hardly gets paid anyway) is DRM'd or expensive, be an independent thinker and go try some of the smaller services.

Emusic
Website for Mac, Windows, Linux where members can download up to 40 tracks per month of high-quality MP3 files. Has been around for YEARS doing both 99-cent downloads, and all-you-can-eat downloads for paid members. Has great catalog of indie label music - company is currently reforming.
AudioLunchbox
One of the first all-independent music download sites. Tracks retail for 99 and albums retail for $9.99. ALB pays out 59 per song and $5.90 per album.
NetMusic
Digital download and streaming service. We get 65 cents per downloaded song. Entire-album downloads usually retail at $9.99.
Emepe3.com
Website that primarily targets Latin America, USA and Spain. Tracks sell for 99 cents. We get 65 cents. Entire-album downloads are usually $9.99.
Etherstream
Website that offers a la carte downloads. Tracks sell for 99 cents. We get 65 cents. Entire-album downloads are usually $9.99.
Music4Cents
Retails independent music at very reasonable prices. Pays 55 cents per download. Sells independent music - they will sell CD Baby songs at $.69.
QTRnote
Artist gets about $.64.
TriaSite
TriaSite retails independent music downloads. Pays $.65 per download
Puretracks
Canada-only service that offers $.99 downloads. Website is currently available to Candian residents only. Puretracks is acting both as an online download retailer and a back-end service provider for other retailers. Downloads cost $.99 per track - artist gets about $.59 per track.
CatchMusic
Download site focusing on independent music. CatchMusic sells a la carte downloads at $1 each. Songs retail at $1 - artist gets about $.55 per song.
Viztas Digital Marketplace
Viztas Digital Marketplace will sell all kinds of digital media - not just music. Tracks retail for 99 and albums retail for $9.99. Vistaz pays out 60 per song and $6.10 per album. Viztas has not yet launched.
DiscLogic
A la carte downloads. Tracks sell for 99 cents. We get 65 cents. Entire-album downloads are usually $9.99.

You might want to try asking the guys at Audio Lunchbox if they've tried signing Warp.. might as well contact Warp as well.

I suggest AL because they sign a lot of independent labels, like Warp.

Audio Lunchbox is cheap, good, and provides DRM-free OGGS :)

Audiolunchbox offers non-DRM mp3s or OGG. It's mostly independent music though.

AudioLunchbox - drm free ogg's and mp3's.

I expect that by cracking the iTMS DRM, I will be able to play the music I purchased on my Linux machine.

By undermining this DRM it encourages record companies to sway towards enforcing more arcane DRM,not removing it.

If some record companies start using DRM that I have no way to circumvent, I will simply stop buying music that's crippled by that type of DRM. There's always eMusic or Audio Lunchbox, and if there's a song I really want that I can't download in an unrestricted format, I'll just buy the CD on eBay.

1: It's not illegal.
2: A hard drive crash doesnt erase my collection. Burned cd's, backups, what have you get scratched, and aren't reliable. My factory made cd's will last much longer.
3: I can legally rip them at a high-bitrate in whatever the common format is.
4: A lot of my collection is indie / small label punk, these bands probably make less than I do, stealing their cds instead of buying really does affect them.
5: The main reason I buy cds is that when I rip them, there are no pops, none of my tracks are cut short, there are no duplicates, and the tags are 100% correct. I can put them in a database, and magically all the songs by the same artist end up together. When you buy cds, you get much better quality.

What's more, they're endangering the near (at least) future of legal digital music downloading.

DRM is just a phase the industry was going through. Eventually the stockholders will start asking for money, and the industry will go back to the making-it-easy-to-have-customers business. You know, the business where they made countless millions of dollars selling unprotected CDs. The business that sold more DVDs after CSS was cracked, than before. Greed and the desire for sales, will eventually destroy DRM. You don't get rich, telling potential customers to fuck off.

Slashdot had a story on Audio Lunchbox a while back. I like their approach a lot- it treats people like adults. If iTMS took the same approach I can almost assure you they would have higher sales. Any pirateing that would occur would be offset by people willing to buy a more useful product. IMHO anyway. Obviously someone out there thinks they are smarter than guys like you or me.

Yes there is.

Audio Lunchbox

Slashdot Story About Audio Lunchbox from March 19.

They sell .ogg files too -- for the discriminating tastes.

The iTunes store afforded consumers much more freedom with their purchases than any of the other online stores, and this software may well have a hand in taking that away.

I bet it's already happened.

Audio Lunchbox, no DRM and even your choice of music in Ogg Vorbis.

Easy... you could sell it here. Plus you'd get 65% of the profit instead of the just barely above 0% most record labels would pay you.

So why is that this album gets this kind of warning?

ALB sells lunchcards that get around the per song CC transaction fees nicely. Seriously, this service is great. I don't like stealing, and I don't like RIAA extortion. I do like supporting artists over corporations. I don't mind $.99 per song one bit. My favorite recent buys are Muggs (of Cypress Hill fame, or for the truly old school 7A3) and The Black Keys. Seriously, give these a listen; one is dark downtempo, the other is outstandingly gritty blues.

Sounds like Audio Lunchbox is a lot more fair to the artists than iTunes and other online music stores are.

Uhm. Audio Lunchbox gives you that when you buy an album. The MP3s + Oggs, artwork, and lyrics.

But don't believe me, see for yourself

Lunch cards are a way to prepay for the music you listen to. You put money on the card and then use it instead of a credit card when it's time to check out. Lunch cards have two huge benefits:

1. You don't have to search for your credit card when you check out. When you put money on your lunch card, you can speed through the check out.

2. For a limited time we are going to throw in some free tracks to sweeten the deal. By using a lunch card you are saving money. Now that's smart.

I've already purchased two albums from them, pict.soul and Error. What's interesting is that both are available from the iTunes Music Store as well as from Audio Lunchbox, at exactly the same price (here and here). I buy plenty of music from the iTunes Music Store, but I am willing to go a little bit out of my way to avoid the DRM if I can get the same price without it.

They take PayPal too, so I didn't have to enter credit card info into... anything at all.

I've already purchased two albums from them, pict.soul and Error. What's interesting is that both are available from the iTunes Music Store as well as from Audio Lunchbox, at exactly the same price (here and here). I buy plenty of music from the iTunes Music Store, but I am willing to go a little bit out of my way to avoid the DRM if I can get the same price without it.

They take PayPal too, so I didn't have to enter credit card info into... anything at all.

Audio Lunchbox, an indie-only digital music store has made their entire catalog of music available globally. Cross-platform (Linux, PC and Mac compatible), No DRM, the option to choose either Ogg Vorbis (Q6) or high-quality MP3 (192 kbps VBR) and an excellent selection of music (Sasha, Death Cab for Cutie, Mozart and even Jimi Hendrix) is worth checking out. To quote from the About section: 'Audio Lunchbox was founded in April 2003 by 4 individuals with a common vision: to increase exposure and availability of great independent music.'

Some record companies have no problem with it.

Audio Luncbox also allows you to have unrestricted mp3 or aac. Enjoy!

Thank you. In fact, if it was your post I read before, thank you twice. I've been totally addicted to audiolunchbox since I read the last /. article on the subject. Some of my favorite downloads: Muggs, J Boogie, hOMe for the Holidays, and teh best fucking blues I've heard in a long time - The Black Keys. Oh, hello??? OGG downloads???

I'm glad others are following market demand and giving geeks what they want: good music, good quality, best distribution model on the planet, fair price. I'll be sharing my paycheck with Bleep, as well.

-madgeorge

Thank you. In fact, if it was your post I read before, thank you twice. I've been totally addicted to audiolunchbox since I read the last /. article on the subject. Some of my favorite downloads: Muggs, J Boogie, hOMe for the Holidays, and teh best fucking blues I've heard in a long time - The Black Keys. Oh, hello??? OGG downloads???

I'm glad others are following market demand and giving geeks what they want: good music, good quality, best distribution model on the planet, fair price. I'll be sharing my paycheck with Bleep, as well.

-madgeorge

Thank you. In fact, if it was your post I read before, thank you twice. I've been totally addicted to audiolunchbox since I read the last /. article on the subject. Some of my favorite downloads: Muggs, J Boogie, hOMe for the Holidays, and teh best fucking blues I've heard in a long time - The Black Keys. Oh, hello??? OGG downloads???

I'm glad others are following market demand and giving geeks what they want: good music, good quality, best distribution model on the planet, fair price. I'll be sharing my paycheck with Bleep, as well.

-madgeorge

Thank you. In fact, if it was your post I read before, thank you twice. I've been totally addicted to audiolunchbox since I read the last /. article on the subject. Some of my favorite downloads: Muggs, J Boogie, hOMe for the Holidays, and teh best fucking blues I've heard in a long time - The Black Keys. Oh, hello??? OGG downloads???

I'm glad others are following market demand and giving geeks what they want: good music, good quality, best distribution model on the planet, fair price. I'll be sharing my paycheck with Bleep, as well.

-madgeorge

Thank you. In fact, if it was your post I read before, thank you twice. I've been totally addicted to audiolunchbox since I read the last /. article on the subject. Some of my favorite downloads: Muggs, J Boogie, hOMe for the Holidays, and teh best fucking blues I've heard in a long time - The Black Keys. Oh, hello??? OGG downloads???

I'm glad others are following market demand and giving geeks what they want: good music, good quality, best distribution model on the planet, fair price. I'll be sharing my paycheck with Bleep, as well.

-madgeorge

...but here it goes again. there is a digital download service featuring independent artists called audiolunchbox that offers DRM free decently high quality mp3 and ogg downloads, it's great and is comparable in price to all the other services so far available. the slashdot crowd needs to pick up on this and fast, we can show the recording industry that this is what we want.

While they may not have RIAA label music on their sites both
Magnatune
and
Audio Lunchbox
Provide drm-free ogg vorbis files for purchase.

I don't know how the slashdot crowd has slept on this one so long but there is a service called Audiolunchbox that has DRM free music available for download. It's all web based so it is platform independent and the files are available in OGG or MP3 formats (192k variable mp3 and level 6 variable OGG i do believe) and the kicker is that all the labels are independent...i hope everyone picks up on this and soon

Just wanted to point out another option if Clear Channel pop isn't your thing. Audio Lunchbox carries an interesting line up of indie label music, the file format is unencumbered, and songs are $.99. The have "bulk" rates, too, if you purchase a "lunch card".

http://audiolunchbox.com

I haven't bought anything yet (and I have no relation to the company), but I'm keeping my eye on it.

-h3