Spent this morning weighing up which download service to buy Eminem’s new album, Relapse. And the thought struck me that we need a price comparison service for music downloads.
I’m usually lazy enough to settle for iTunes – but the only version of Eminem’s Relapse available was the Deluxe version, which cost a painful £10.99. So I decided to trawl the web.
Here’s what I found:
7digital – Eminem Relapse at 320kbps in MP3 £5
Play.com – Eminem Relapse at 320kbps in MP3 £6.99
iTunes Eminem Replapse Deluxe Edition at 256kbps in AAC £10.99
Amazon.co.uk unavailable (it later appeared at 256kbps in MP3 for £7.99)
Relapse - any price too high
The disparity is shocking – particularly from Apple. Sure, the iTunes ‘deluxe’ edition features a PDF of album artwork (you’re really spoiling us) plus two videos and four bonus tracks. Two of which were single versions of tracks that are, judging by the 30sec previews, indistinguishable from the album versions.
I opted for 7digital, but realised pretty soon afterwards that Spotify would have been a better option. Halfway through listening I decided that I didn’t want to be at Eminem’s party anymore. His juvenile attempts to shock have become very waring, while Dre’s arpeggiated production sounds increasingly the demo mode on a Casio keyboard circa 1988. Plus, Eminem keeps slipping into a cod Jamaican accent, a travesty that should be punishable by exile from the world of hip-hop.
I left hastily and began my search for something less predictable. After a brief sojourn over at Wolfram Alpha’s place, headed over to NPR radio to catch up with the never-to-be-released collaboration between Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and David Lynch.
Maybe I don’t need a price comparison service at all. Maybe I just need to get used to streaming my music, rather than owning it.
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Comments ( 3 )
Yeah, I sort of agree. Whenever I look for new music, it’s a slight pain, having to check a few sites (I don’t even check the iTunes store – partly because I disagree with Apple’s ongoing claims to blame the record labels for their ridiculous pricing structure). Likewise though, I’m more than happy to stream my music, as it’s not worth owning really. Even stuff I like, I’ll play it lots, then probably never again after a few months.
Chris C added these pithy words on
May 19 09 at
9:58 pm
I use http://www.MP3puzzled.com, does the job for me
Tom added these pithy words on
Jul 21 09 at
11:23 am
