Now that the MP3 has become my preferred format (supplanting the CD), I want to download a few albums and several songs, and thought I’d do it through one of the pay sites. So far, it’s been a pretty frustrating experience. I tried eMusic, where I found two of the albums I was looking for, but none of the individual songs. I then tried Napster, and found precisely nothing. No albums (and these aren’t exactly obscure, mind you: they’re the newest releases from Bright Eyes, The Kills and Soundtrack Of Our Lives) and none of the ~25 songs in my P2P wishlist. Puretracks, the CRIA’s download site, doesn’t have any of the (admittedly, more obscure) wishlist songs, and I could find only one of the three albums: I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning by Bright Eyes. Sadly, I can’t download it, but I can order it for more than it costs at HMV. Hot dammit.
So what are my options? 1) keep buying CDs; 2) use iTunes; 3) download using P2P software. I’d prefer not to do #1 since it goes against my new music strategy, as it were. #2 may not even be a viable option, since the iTunes library may be no better than the others I’ve tried, and besides it uses a dumbass file format that I don’t like. #3, however, is simple and free. I would feel guilty about it, though only about 5% as guilty as the CRIA would like me to feel since that’s about how much the artist gets of my CD buying habit.
Anybody know of any better download sites?
Skirl | Dan Dickinson 
My suggestion is to stick to CDs for now. I too listen to ‘obscure’ music. Well, it’s obscure in North America, but anything other than Britney Spears is obscure in this country…I digress though.
I’ve searched a few music download sites and the selection is pathetic. The only way I can legitimately get the music I want is to order it from Europe or wait for it to finally appear in North American on import a few months later if I’m lucky.
In theory the Internet is a good way to distribute music, but in reality it’s a few years off before it’s actually practical.
I thought I’d list of a few music sites that I regularly go to. There may be links off of some of them to other download sites:
http://www.recordstorereview.com/cgi-bin/store – record store reviews from around the world.
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com – reviews
http://www.metacritic.com/music/ – reviews on music I actually listen to.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/ – One of the only radio stations I actually listen to.
http://www.bondifmadmin.com.au/public_interface/index.php – the other radio station I listen to.
http://www.grandcentralrecords.co.uk/ – great record label.
http://www.fusion3.com/ – Canadian distributor of imported music of which CD Replay at Yonge and Bloor will order stuff from them and save you the shipping.
http://www.pollstar.com – concert listings for around the world. Information is posted here before ticketmaster and includes shows ticketmaster doesn’t list.
Thanks for the suggestions. Despite Pitchfork’s snark getting out of control I still check their download section regularly, and it’s usually good for a few songs now and then. Likewise, woxy.com, the best radio station — online or otherwise — I’ve ever heard. The Anti-Hit List, MuchMusic’s Wedge playlist and suggestions from blogs like Chromewaves and Largehearted Boy are good sources too.