Anyone recommend a good, safe MP3 web site

[everton_fc]

I'm looking for a good, safe MP3 site to purchase MP3's ideally using PayPal. Anyone got any good ideas.

Alternatively you could PM me if anyone has "Black Sabbath - Live at Last" or any other early, original line-up live Sabbath on MP3!!! Cheers

[Nadz1lla]

iTunes is probably one of the safest bets mate. I know it probably involves downloading their cr@ppy software, but at least you're with a known brand name and you'll get quality tracks all the time.

[indysmith]

at least you're with a known brand name and you'll get quality tracks all the time.

If you call 128kbps "quality"  :roll:
Whats wrong with CDs?!

[everton_fc]

dont really do CD's anymore. So 20th century  

[indysmith]

dont really do CD's anymore. So 20th century  

That's absolute bullshitee. CDs give far superior quality to mp3s, you get the music in physical format rather than just files you could have downloaded for free, it means that you always have a hard backup, you get album art, lyrics, etc. for the full album experience, you also have the opportunity to rip it to MP3 quickly and easily (or FLAC, ALAC, AAC etc.) whenever you like...
I could go on all day.

[everton_fc]

yeah but i dont want a cd.

[sambo]

yeah but i dont want a cd.

Can't argue with that Indy. :lol:


Seriously though, if you don't have a decent hi-fi system then CDs are largely useless. I don't think there really is such thing as an "album experience". Anyway:

Lyrics - available on the web
Album art - available on the web

AND you don't have to deal with filler tracks- you can choose the tracks you like.

And as for having a "hard backup", well you can always burn downloaded tracks to a CD. What I'm saying is, it works both ways. Don't get me wrong, I buy albums (occasionally) but digital downloads are convenient.


Anyway, Itunes isn't bad. I can't think of a better one off the top of my head. They have a pretty extensive library too.

EDIT: To the dude above- what's cr@ppy about iTunes?! It kicks windows media player's arse all day long.

[Scotty477]

The problem with MP3 is that compared to CD the sound quality simply isn't there.

It's like listening to music with a light pair of ear muffs on. You lose a good portion of the top and bottom end on MP3.

Soon there will be a whole generation going about that think MP3 is a good standard of music quality.....

If you like music at all, I would highly recommend going with CD.

If I had to make a comparison to music gear I would say it's like plugging your best guitar into a cheap £50 amp with MP3. CD's would be a valve amp .....

Seriously.

[sambo]

^I totally agree. But what you have to bear in mind is the system you're using to play the music. If you've got a decent hi-fi, CDs are fantastic. If you're using a laptop/PC with some fairly inexpensive computer speakers, in my experience, CD/MP3 doesn't make a blind bit of difference.

[indysmith]

If you're using a laptop/PC with some fairly inexpensive computer speakers, in my experience, CD/MP3 doesn't make a blind bit of difference.

But then the problem is that you're not hearing the music at all. I'm not going to try and convince you because you simply can't understand until you hear for yourself what a decent set-up sounds like, and when you do you'll realize that there are passages in the music you'd been missing, subtleties and nuances that make ALL the difference, and when you listen back through your PC speakers you won't understand what the hell you were doing all those years.
You're only hearing a poorly represented narrow band of your music. Nothing like how the original artists intended it to be heard.

[sambo]

But then the problem is that you're not hearing the music at all. I'm not going to try and convince you because you simply can't understand until you hear for yourself what a decent set-up sounds like, and when you do you'll realize that there are passages in the music you'd been missing, subtleties and nuances that make ALL the difference, and when you listen back through your PC speakers you won't understand what the hell you were doing all those years.
You're only hearing a poorly represented narrow band of your music. Nothing like how the original artists intended it to be heard.

Steady on there Crusader of Audio justice!!! :lol:

I completely agree with you that CDs through a decent setup is in a different league to MP3s. I play CDs through my (decent) family hi-fi setup downstairs and it's fantastic! My point was, when you have little tinny PC speakers/laptop speakers, the difference between MP3 and CD shrinks to an unnoticeable level (in my opinion). So if you can't afford a nice big hifi, and have to make do with those little Labtec PC speakers, then CD isn't such a big benefit. Agreed?

[indysmith]

But then the problem is that you're not hearing the music at all. I'm not going to try and convince you because you simply can't understand until you hear for yourself what a decent set-up sounds like, and when you do you'll realize that there are passages in the music you'd been missing, subtleties and nuances that make ALL the difference, and when you listen back through your PC speakers you won't understand what the hell you were doing all those years.
You're only hearing a poorly represented narrow band of your music. Nothing like how the original artists intended it to be heard.

Steady on there Crusader of Audio justice!!! :lol:

I completely agree with you that CDs through a decent setup is in a different league to MP3s. I play CDs through my (decent) family hi-fi setup downstairs and it's fantastic! My point was, when you have little tinny PC speakers/laptop speakers, the difference between MP3 and CD shrinks to an unnoticeable level (in my opinion). So if you can't afford a nice big hifi, and have to make do with those little Labtec PC speakers, then CD isn't such a big benefit. Agreed?

Agreed
I'm just trying my best to stop the mp3 revolution which IMO is destroying quality music

[sambo]

Yeah I know what you mean.

As someone else said, most people in the next generation or two will think MP3 is the same quality as CD. Even if it's only because they've never heard a CD through a proper hifi.


On the other hand, peer-to-peer mp3 services like Limewire still have their place. It's the best way to seek out and hear music (alongside myspace). The routine I've kind of settled into, is find and listen to music on the PC, and if I really like it, buy the album on CD so I can really appreciate it properly. :)

[indysmith]

Same, just I don't use Limewire - the guy in the Apple shop was telling me it works in a really weird way that leaves all sorts of cr@p saved all over your harddrive. Don't know if he's paid to say that say that so I'll use iTunes store, but I still don't like the sound of it, and I'm not using iTunes store :P

[Kilby]

I'm just trying my best to stop the mp3 revolution which IMO is destroying quality music

I'm still trying to stop the CD revolution cos they sound pretty sh1t to me.

Black plastic on a decent system sounds way better