Why Music Download Services?

Do you love jazz or does country music get you kicking? Are you a classical connoisseur or does rap rock your world? Whatever your taste, music download services have just what you're looking for.

With music download services, you can find millions of titles, covering almost any genre you can imagine at prices that won't break the bank. And as far as finding the right music fast, top music download services allow you to search for tunes by artist, song title or album.

Want to listen to a song before you buy it? No problem. With music download services, you can "preview" all or part of a song (depending on the service) to make sure it's the song, version or mix you want.

The best music download services also offer an integrated music player so downloading, organizing and playing your new tunes is a snap. And if you own a portable digital music device like an MP3 player or iPod, music download services let you download convenient mobile music for working out, hanging out or for whenever you're on the move.

On this site, you'll find informative articles on digital music downloads, recent news stories and comprehensive reviews to help you make an informed decision on which music download service is right for you.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don't Have To.™
 

What to Look for in a Music Download Service

You need a music download service with a large, diversified music selection, easy to use search tools, tons of extra features and helpful technical support. Here are the criteria TopTenREVIEWS used to evaluate Music Download services:

MP3 Music Selection
Music download services should offer a wide variety of music genres and artists for preview and download.

Search Capabilities
Music download services should make finding music easy and should allow searches by song title, artist, album or genre.

Feature Set
Downloaded music should be of high quality and made accessible to all MP3 players. Top music download services do not restrict track playback with DRM. Music download services should also provide features beyond basic music downloads. We looked for services that provided useful perks, like an integrated music player, a playlist organizer and secure downloads.

Download/Setup Process
The service should make it easy to download and setup the program on your home computer. We also looked at how easy their music download process was and the pricing involved.

Help/Support
Good support is key when using a music download service. Music Download Services should have support built into their website as FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) or knowledge bases for quick reference. The services support staff should be friendly, patient and knowledgeable.

It doesn't matter if you're just starting your digital musical library or are looking to broaden your bulging collection—with music download services, you can find the perfect music that will move you today, tomorrow and always.

Check out our top choice for music downloads and why we think it's the best: iTunes music store.

For a fun and exciting way to put your music downloads to use, be sure and check out our DJ Software reviews website where you can compare the top 10 DJ mixing software programs on the market.

 
TopTenREVIEWS
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Music Download Review 

Your Digital Music Destination

Music download services offer music enthusiasts an inexpensive, convenient and completely legal alternative that really rocks.

Rank #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
Excellent score   Excellent
Very good score   Very Good
Good score   Good
Fair score   Fair
Poor score   Poor
iTunes Napster Amazon MP3 Rhapsody Zune Marketplace eMusic Walmart Music Audio Lunchbox Puretracks PayPlay.FM
iTunes Napster Amazon MP3 Rhapsody Zune Marketplace eMusic Walmart Music Audio Lunchbox Puretracks PayPlay.FM
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Lowest Price Per Song Buy iTunes
$0.99
Buy Napster
$0.99
Buy Amazon MP3
$0.89
Buy Rhapsody
$0.99
Buy Zune Marketplace
$0.98
Buy eMusic
$0.33
Buy Walmart Music
$0.74
Buy Audio Lunchbox
$0.99
Buy Puretracks
$0.99
Buy PayPlay.FM
$0.77
 
Overall Rating Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good
Ratings
MP3 Music Selection Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Good Good Good
Search Capabilities Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Excellent Very Good Excellent Excellent Excellent
Feature Set Excellent Very Good Excellent Excellent Very Good Good Very Good Very Good Good Very Good
Download/Setup Very Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good Excellent Excellent Excellent Good
Help/Support Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Very Good Excellent Very Good Very Good Very Good Good
View Specifications Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
View Screenshots View iTunes screenshots View Napster screenshots View Amazon MP3 screenshots View Rhapsody screenshots View Zune Marketplace screenshots View eMusic screenshots View Walmart Music screenshots View Audio Lunchbox screenshots View Puretracks screenshots View PayPlay.FM screenshots
Payment Options
Average Price-per Song $.99 $.99 $.89/ $.99 $.99 79 points ($.98)   $.88/ $.94 $.99 varies  
Subscription   $12.95   $12.99 $14.99 $9.99   $9.99   5.00
To Go Program   $14.95   $14.99 $14.99      
Music Download Titles
Music Titles Available 8 million 7 million 6 million 5 million 5 million 5 million 3 million 2 million 1.3 million 2 million
Copy Song to CD Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Song Preview Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Free Tracks     Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   
Music Download Features
Album/Artist Information Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark
Playlist/Organizer Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark      
Search for Existing Music Files Check Mark    Check Mark Check Mark      
Full-length Previews     Check Mark       
All DRM-free Tracks Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
Some DRM-free Tracks      Check Mark     Check Mark  
Standard MP3 Bitrate 256 256 256 256 320 192 256 192 192 192
Subscription Bitrate (DRM)   128   192 192     192 192
Radio Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark      Check Mark
Music Videos Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark      
Movies Check Mark   Check Mark     Check Mark    
Television Shows Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark    
Audiobooks Check Mark      Check Mark     
Podcasts Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark      
Search Capabilities
Genre/Category Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Artist Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Song/Track Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Album Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
Music Download File Formats
.mp3 Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark  
.aac Check Mark          
.wma   Check Mark   Check Mark      Check Mark  
.rax     Check Mark       
.zpl      Check Mark      
Mp3 payment methods
Credit/Debit Card Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Paypal Check Mark Check Mark         Check Mark
Points      Check Mark    Check Mark   
Support/Documentation
Phone/Fax Support   Check Mark    Check Mark   Check Mark    
Manual Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark  
FAQ Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark
eMail/Online Forms Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
Supported Configurations
Vista Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
XP Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark Check Mark
2000    Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark
Macintosh Check Mark   Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark   
Linux    Check Mark Check Mark   Check Mark   Check Mark   
 
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Lowest Price Per Song Buy iTunes
$0.99
Buy Napster
$0.99
Buy Amazon MP3
$0.89
Buy Rhapsody
$0.99
Buy Zune Marketplace
$0.98
Buy eMusic
$0.33
Buy Walmart Music
$0.74
Buy Audio Lunchbox
$0.99
Buy Puretracks
$0.99
Buy PayPlay.FM
$0.77
* Where available features were evaluated based on the service?s individual download prices and features, not subscription based services.
How to Download Music
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