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Buy.Com Debuts Music Download Site

Posted by michael on from the what-are-you-paying-for,-exactly? dept.

elucidus writes "Buy.com on Tuesday launched a new digital music download service -- the site, BuyMusic.com, offers a catalog of more than 300,000 songs. The site only loads in Internet Explorer and all the files are Windows Media 9 formatted with DRM. No word yet on whether the public announcement of a supposed gaping hole in Windows Media DRM caused any concern before the launch. Compatible players include the Nomad IIc 9 and Creative's Jukebox Zen."

10 of 610 comments (clear)

  1. Let me see... by oscast · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Different licenses for different songs with varying limits for burning versus uniform licensing for all songs with unlimited burns. It's going to be hell making your own custom music CD using that service. I'm sticking with Apple, and once Apple releases its PC iTunes, I'm sticking that on my PCs as well.

  2. not all music is .79cent by Numeric · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Coldplay for .99

    My Bloody Valentine for .89

    Its funny that they say songs cost .79 cents but I haven't found one artist yet who's songs are that price.

    --
    -- ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space!
  3. Re:Linux no access by Wattsman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I just went to the site in IE. A pop-up window states that
    Windows Media Player Version 9 is required to download music on BuyMusic.com.

    They're specifically targetting Windows customers. And all Windows customers have IE. No reason to spend the extra time and money to make sure the site works with Mozilla or Opera (or Lynx or ...).

  4. Who is the ad wizard? by Zeekamotay · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hmm, let's see, here's a "best of" Judas Priest album. I can do a one-time download of a crippled non-CD-quality set of copy protected files that only work on a subset of machines for $12.69. Or, on the buy.com music page, I can buy the same album, at a higher quality, on physical media, in a universal format with no copy protection, including inserts with pictures, lyrics, etc., for $10.98. Gee, that's a tough choice...

  5. bleh by Fnkmaster · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I think it's been pretty well established in the market that there's a demand for non- or minimally-encumbered music files. Why then release crapware DRM and license-encumbered shit?


    Check the EULA for this shit. Pure crap. I don't want an EULA that tells me I'm restricted to legally using my music only on approved players - isn't it bad enough that they use a fucking proprietary format, now they want to legally restrict me from using "unapproved" players? They can go fuck themselves up a tree with that attitude - when I buy a CD, I can play it on any damned player I want, and I expect the same rights when I buy music for download. At least with iTunes, you can transcode, burn to CD-R, etc. If I can't transcode it to MP3 and put it onto my mini-CD/MP3 player, you aren't getting a penny from me. And did I mention, go fuck yourselves buy.com.

  6. How to fool the system, part 1. by NetDanzr · · Score: 3, Interesting
    According to the FAQ, people need to use MSIE 5 or higher for a certain ActiveX control that handles the DRM information of the song. I noticed that the page code does a simple browser check when you click on the download link. When I didn't use MSIE 5 or higher, I kept timing out.

    I set my Opera 7.11 to identify itself as MSIE 6.0, and behold: got through to pay and download the song with no problems. I'm curious now: if I downloaded the song, would I be able to play it even without the ActiveX control? And if so, will I have gotten it without any DRM protection?

  7. Yawn. by poiu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For the low low low price of $7.95 you can buy .... not much. Teasers. Click around, you'll find that almost all of the songs are the same or *higher* prices as the ones on Apple's music store. I just checked Audioslave from their list of top 5 album downloads. At Buymusic.com its $12.69. At Apple its $11.99.

    Also, Apple's store is 100% integrated into iTunes. That makes getting, downloading, & adding music to your library that much easier.

    Luckily, MS DRM has (allegedly) been cracked. The DRM is a PITA, take a look:

    Make sure you mean to buy your music from your primary computer (for example: your home computer) so that it contains your primary license. The licenses are non-transferable. Example: You cannot buy your music on your home machine and then transfer your primary license to your work machine. The computer you buy from becomes the primary computer with the primary license for that song. You can only copy music from your primary machine via your primary license. See below for details.

    Each record label has control over these license restrictions including the number of times you may:

    transfer your songs to another computer(s)
    transfer your songs to an approved portable digital media player.
    burn your songs to CD

    BuyMusic.com complies with each record label and adjusts the SDMI license on each of your music downloads accordingly.

    Thanks though, I think I'll stick with Apple's music store.

    --

    ---
    "Don't anthropomorphize computers. They hate that."
  8. Confusing and Ripoff? by danlor · · Score: 3, Interesting

    While browsing around the site, I was stunned to see how much the "rights" varied from song to song. Even on the same album. It really sucks that they went with WM9/SDMI. Good luck backing these puppies up!

    What was also surprising is that the selection is not any better than iTunes. Lots of partial albums. Why would a record company restrict onlines sales of albums/singles that are over 15 years old?

    I was also turned off at how much the site layout is a blatant ripoff from Apple. Even the ads. Please. One good thing though... We can write reviews! I always felt that was a hole in Apple's site.

    Now Apple legal has something to chew on!

  9. Re:Microsoft centric... by drgroove · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I just sent this email to Buy.com using your link:
    -------------------
    I've purchased plenty of items from Buy.com in the past, but I have to let you know something.

    I don't *ever* use Internet Explorer to do it.

    In this day and age of web standards and the growing concern that all browsers and all websites comply, don't you think that Buy.com could be in a position to set a clear example in the business community on how to develop & deliver a web-based application that uses those standards?

    Without standards, we *all* run the risk of one company creating a 'tax' on the internet. Seeing as the internet has grown and survived on a spirit of openness, anyone who creates a browser or website that does not follow the W3C standards is not only increasing the risk that one company could own or control the internet, but they develop in the face of the internet's very open nature.

    Beyond losing a potential customer due to Buy.com's browser restrictions - I *never* use Internet Explorer - the example that you're setting in the online community and business community as a whole is a poor one at best... at worst, by playing favorites to a known monopolist company, Buy.com is thereby increasing the risk of a "Microsoft Internet Tax" becoming a reality.

    On behalf of developers everywhere, I strongly encourage your to open your web sites and web services to *all* W3C standards-compliant web browsers, as well as to offer your downloadable music products in formats other than Microsoft's proprietary format.

    In order to be compliant with web browsers, please refer to the free online information provided by the W3C at http://www.w3.org. A good way to test your site for standards compliance is to use a Mozilla/Gecko based browser, such as Mozilla Firebird v0.6, or Mozilla v1.4 - these can be downloaded at http://www.mozilla.org.

    Suggested formats for your music products - in addition to Microsoft's proprietary format - would be MP3, Ogg Vorbis, et al.

    Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you take these points seriously, and bring your site and services into compliance with the rest of the world, rather than isolating yourself in seclusion using only Microsoft techonologies.

    -------------------
    thanks, btw for the link... hopefully they listen!!! (I realize the language isn't perfect... just wrote it out really fast, didn't edit it... anyhow)

  10. 300 000 songs? by tRr · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Where is the supposed 300 000 tracks? I just went through all of the major categories listed on the main page of buymusic.com. Then I clicked on the List All option for each category. This is what I got:

    Titles Within Alternative (11565 matching titles)
    Titles Within Blues (3927 matching titles)
    Titles Within Country (10597 matching titles)
    Titles Within Jazz (22074 matching titles)
    Titles Within Metal (4835 matching titles)
    Titles Within New Age (1649 matching titles)
    Titles Within Oldies (2151 matching titles)
    Titles Within Pop/Rock (11557 matching titles)
    Titles Within R&B/Soul (15457 matching titles)
    Titles Within Rap/Hip Hop (12408 matching titles)
    Titles Within Reggae (2138 matching titles)
    Titles Within Soundtracks (333 matching titles)
    Titles Within World (12794 matching titles)

    Equals=111485

    Those matching titles are referring to the actually track titles and not the albums since if you take the number of songs listed on the first page times the number of pages you can get the number of "matching titles". The only thing I can think of is that they have music just floating around without a category yet.

    Anyone have any light to shed on this?