Archive for the ‘Musical News’ Category
Chord Spelling
387
With the growing interest in Jazz and other forms of music, I find more and more people asking about chord symbols and chord construction. While there are many books out there on the market, there is very little explanation of how chords symbols are interpreted. I’d like to share some of my insight with all you music enthusiasts.
music lesson, music theory, chords, guitar, piano
Understanding Chord Symbols
With the growing interest in Jazz and other forms of music, I find more and more people asking about chord symbols and chord construction. While there are many books out there on the market, there is very little explanation of how chords symbols are interpreted. I’d like to share some of my insight with all you music enthusiasts. In many song sheets chords are given for guitar or keyboard players. Functional names are not used for this purpose. Instead, the root and quality of the chord are given in what may be termed lead-sheet notation (for example, Amaj and F#dim7).
Chord symbols are made up of 3 component parts:
1. The ROOT
The alphabetical name of a chord.
i.e. A, Bb, G F# etc.
2. The Chord Type
Indicating either Major, minor, dominant, augmented or diminished.
3. The extension:
Tones added to the basic three note chord (triad) that changes its sound but not its type. Extensions are represented by scale step numbers i.e. 9, 11, 13
Here are the basic chord types:
MAJOR indicated by GMaj., GMa, GM or just G (Note: the capitol “M?is used to designate Major chords.) Major chords are sometimes written without chord type designation. Symbols are also used to designate Major chords i.e. , .
Minor Indicated by Gmin., Gmi, Gm or G- (NOTE: The lower case “m?is used to designate minor chords).
Dominant 7 Indicated with only the root and extension numbers. Since some major chords and all dominant 7 chords can be written without chord type designations, the following will help you to distinguish between a major chord and a dominant chord: If the FIRST extension number following the root or letter name of the chord is 7 or greater, and it does not specifically state major or minor then it is a dominant chord.
EXAMPLE: C7b5, C13, C9 and C7sus4 are all dominant chords, but Cm11 is a minor chord and CMaj.9 is a major chord.
If the FIRST extension number following the root or letter name of the chord is 6 or under, it is a major chord.
EXAMPLE: C6/9, C2, Csus4 are all major chords
Augmented
These are 3 note chords indicated by G aug, G+, or G#5
EXCEPTION: G+7 is always a dominant chord as is G7#5
Diminished
Indicated by G dim, Gdim7, or G? or G?
Drum Tips – Dealing with Bass Drum “Creep”
495
Here is a very successful way of keeping your bass drum from sliding away from you while playing.
drum tips, bass drum, kick drum,
Bass drum creep does NOT refer to the scary guy with the bass drum, it’s the term used to describe the frustrating situation when your kick drum starts sliding further and further away from you with each stroke of your bass drum pedal.
Setting up your kit on a good thick rug or a carpet that the spikes at the end of your bass drum legs can sink their teeth into will generally help keep bass drum creep at bay. (If your bass drum legs don’t have spikes, replace them with ones that do. Any decent drum shop will carry replacement bass drum legs at a reasonable price.)
Make sure your carpet is large enough to fit your whole kit, including your throne. The weight of your body on the throne will help keep the bass drum from sliding away with the whole carpet.
Adjust the bass drum legs so that the front of the drum is an inch or two off the ground and the drum is resting at a slight angle. This shifts more of the drums weight onto the legs themselves and helps the spikes dig in more effectively, which should put an end to most bass drum creep problems.
Sometimes, especially for those of us kicking the drum pretty hard in loud situations, setting up on a carpet is just not enough!
Here is an additional little trick that will END bass drum creep problems.
Take a three foot long 2″x4?piece of wood. I have some nice fabric glued around it to make it look pretty, provide some protection to the drums, and prevent splinters. Now mark your carpet where you want the front of your bass drum to sit. Drill three quarter inch diameter holes through the wood ?one hole in the middle and one near each end.
Using some nice, big, 2 inch washers and 1/4 inch thick bolts ?actually bolt the wood to your carpet at the front edge of your bass drum. Make sure to put the flattest part of the bolt on the under side of the carpet so that your carpet still lays pretty flat. I also like to put a layer or two of gaffer’s tape over the end of the bolt so that it does not scratch up any nice wooden floors that happen to be underneath the carpet.
Now when you set up just slide the front of the bass drum right up against the piece of wood you have bolted to the carpet, and it will not slide any further!
It works best if you get the wood wide enough that the legs themselves actually bump up against the wood block although it will work fine with the rim of the drum against the wood block – just be sure to cover the wood with foam or thick fabric to prevent the wood from damaging the rim and lugs of your drum!
Let me know how well it works for you.
Growth of Social Networks
2
David Fishman
Music Downloading, iPod, iTunes, Entertainment, uPlayMe
David Fishman
Guitar Lesson ?How To Change Guitar Strings
735
At some point, all guitarists need to learn how to change the strings on their guitar. Sometimes you’ll be forced to change one when a string snaps. But usually, you’ll simply want to change them, as strings lose their brightness and wear out.
The amount of time you leave between change strings varies depending on several factors. If you play your guitar regularly, then you might like to change your strings once a week or once a month.
Most Professional guitarists tend …
learn guitar, guitar lesson, how to play guitar, learn to play guitar
At some point, all guitarists need to learn how to change the strings on their guitar. Sometimes you’ll be forced to change one when a string snaps. But usually, you’ll simply want to change them, as strings lose their brightness and wear out.
The amount of time you leave between change strings varies depending on several factors. If you play your guitar regularly, then you might like to change your strings once a week or once a month.
Most Professional guitarists tend to change their strings before each gig. But in the end, it all comes down to a matter of personal preference. Something to bear in mind if you’re using your guitar for a gig, is that your strings need a few hours of play to break in properly. During this time, your strings will go out of tune as they stretch so you’ll have to retune.
Anyway, here’s what you do:
Remove the old strings by detuning the machine heads until the tension becomes loose enough to allow you to pull each string away from the headstock.
Another quick way to remove the old strings is to snip them using a pair of wire cutters. Be very careful if you do it this way, and make sure they are loose, since the bare ends of the strings can be sharp and easily flap around. Bare guitar strings are amongst the many things you DO NOT want to catch in your eye.
How you go about installing your new strings will usually depend on the type of guitar you have, as many guitars have slightly different methods. However, the strings are usually held in place at one end by fixtures behind or on the bridge, and at the other by turning the machine head on the headstock.
Here’s a small insider tip guitarists have been using for years to get more life from your steel strings once you’ve removed them: Boil them.
Dropping a set of strings into a pan of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes will remove a lot of the grimy build up and bring a new life back to what would otherwise be lifeless strings.
It won’t last for very long, and you can’t get away with doing it too many times, but it can be an effective temporary measure.
I wouldn’t suggest you rely on this technique too much, strings aren’t too expensive – and using new strings saves you a lot of hassle.
Regardless of what kind of guitar you have, your strings need to be stretched after you’ve put them on. When you first tune your guitar, put your hand under each string around the pickup area, pull the string a few centimeters away from the fretboard, then release it. If the pitch has dropped, retune and repeat the process. Keep doing this until all the strings stay in tune.
On most electric guitars the strings are either secured at the bridge end by an independent tailpiece (like most Gibson guitars), or passed through the body of the instrument from the back into an all-in-one bridge unit (like most fender style guitars).
At one end of every steel string, you will find a tiny disc of metal around which one end of the string is wrapped. This is called the ball end.
Take the opposite end of the string and thread it through the fixture at the bridge.
Pull the string through until the ball end stops you from pulling the string any further.
Most electric and steel-string guitars use a similar system for securing strings at the machine head. The capstan to which the string is attached stands out vertically from the headstock. Strings can be passed through a hole in the side of the capstan.
The end is then passed around and under, trapping it in place when the machine head is tightened. Some capstans have vertical slots instead of holes. To use these, cut the string to length, and insert into the tip of the capstan. Then bend the string to one side and wind it around.
This leaves the string endings neat and tidy.
Here’s what you do next: Slowly turn the machine head for each string, increasing the tension until the string becomes suitably tight.
To save yourself time and energy, you can use a cheap plastic string winder, which simply fits over the machine head allowing you to crank it along more quickly.
Enter the world of Music
500
Technology has made our lives simpler and with the new developments in technology not only is life getting simpler but technology is continuing to make more differences in our lives by contributing to various spheres of our lives like entertainment . With the internet all this has now come to our very doorstep at just the click of the mouse.
: music videos, free lyrics, song lyrics, us top 20, singles charts, watch music videos, free music videos, rate music videos
Technology has made our lives simpler and with the new developments in technology not only is life getting simpler but technology is continuing to make more differences in our lives by contributing to various spheres of our lives like entertainment . With the internet all this has now come to our very doorstep at just the click of the mouse.
Earlier for the purpose of listening to a song atleast a visit to your local music store was required and seeing a video meant watching the band perform at one of their concerts or then getting a music video from the music store. Now anytime you wish to listen to some great music or watch a music video just log on and you can watch your favourite songs or watch free music videos and watch music videos in the comfort of your home. There is just no need anymore to venture out , technology has brought everything you desire right into your home or workplace.
There is good news for all music lovers . Now with internet technology , music fans can not only listen to their favourite artists but also watch free lyrics. All the songs are available at just a click sitting in the comfort of your home. Not only can you now watch songs but also song lyrics and hear and enjoy the music and even sing along with the lyrics and all available to you.
Internet is a world of choices for all music lovers and provides you all the information and the latest happenings in the music world. You can be up to date on all music news and the current hits on the US top 20 or the singles charts. The music site offers you the flexibility of watching your favourite stars totally uninterrupted(free from all the hosts) . The music site is a legal way to watch music unlike using pirated versions .
It not only the music enthusiasts but also the music companies that have realized the potential of the internet as a great marketing tool for promoting their music. You can not only watch music videos but also rate music videos. This would be useful to the other members in making a decision on their watchs and also provides a good feedback to the music companies about the choices or preferences of the fans.
The music site thus, provides you access into a whole world of music and music alone where you are the King. You can decide as to what you want and bring it home at just a click. You can then listen to the music of your choice or watch music videos at your own convenience and even rewind and see your favourite music videos over and over again. The world of music is now waiting for you to explore and soak in all that you can. Just log on and at the click you can venture into this beautiful melodious world and be lost in the tunes and rhythms of your favourite stars.
Free Music Downloads for Kelly Clarkson
291
Like Kelly Clarkson, many American idol winners and contestants are offering up their tunes for listening online. You can find a number of sites that offer samplings of their music, both complete CD’s and selected tracks that you can transfer to your music player and listen to offline.
free music downloads for kelly clarkson, mp3
American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson has become a familiar voice on the radio and television as she continues to delivery amazing new songs with incredible vocals that continue to skyrocket her farther up the charts. Thanks to the power of the Internet there are many sites where you can find free music downloads of her work to hear for yourself how powerful her music and voice really is.
As you download her music you can enjoy it almost anywhere you go – from your car to your computer at work and your portable iPod thanks to MP3 formats that most of the songs come in. This universal music format is widely recognized by almost all music players and stereo systems today and is the standard format for delivering audio content on the Internet.
In fact, many American idol winners and contestants are offering up their tunes for listening online. You can find a number of sites that offer samplings of their music, both complete CD’s and selected tracks that you can transfer to your music player and listen to offline. Part of the immense power of the Internet is how quickly and easily it is to get songs to fans and help build up support for a particular artist. There is virtually no cost associated with it and with a click of a mouse the tracks can be sent around the world to fans even in remote parts of the rain forest in South America!
If you want to find out more about how to get songs and albums downloaded to your computer check out underground websites and fan discussion sites where you will find people talking about the latest places to obtain and listen to a wide variety of musical creations.
First a Trickle then a Flood.The Birth of the Blues in Britain
1046
As the original Blues artists from the Delta,Chicago and Texas struggled to make their Music heard a few records were discovered by young British kids in the early sixties.The impact of these remarkable sounds on this generation took on a life all of its own and in a couple of years the Blues was the talking point of all Kids interested in music.It was cool to be into R’n'B and to know even a few of the names.What followed changed the World of Music for ever
The Blues,Guitar, Gibson,Les Paul,Bluesbreakers,Mayall,Clapton,Marquee,British Blues,
Chris Barber’s Jazz Band with the beautiful Otillie Patterson on vocals brought the sound of New Orleans to British traditional Jazz buffs in the late fifties and early sixties. This was just the beginning of a wave of new sounds that culminated in what came to be known as the British Blues Boom! On Banjo was the great Lonnie Donegan who became the Godfather of Skiffle a year or two later. All of the early musical melting pots were springboards for the next generation of musicians and within a couple of years the Music scene was to change forever.
My first exposure to the blues was on Barber’s wonderful L.P. New Orleans Joys. I forget all the titles now but the haunting sounds stirred up strange sensations and led me a few years later to a life long passion for the Blues as I am sure it did with many young kids at the time.
The year 1962 saw the birth of several Blues gigs in London Clubs, notably the Famous Marquee which made its home in Wardour Street, Soho. The great Alexis Korner was to prove to be a nursery slope for what was to come. Cyril Davies on Harp, Dick Heckstall- Smith on the most wailing of saxophones, Mick Jagger (yes that one!) on vocals to name but a few. I guess that first Album recorded live at the Marquee?b>Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, started the trickle which very rapidly gathered momentum and soon the Blues was the talking point of all young music heads.
Playing at the Marquee shortly after, in 1963 was the man destined to become the Godfather of British Blues?John Mayall? John’s famous band, The BluesBreakers went onto fame and fortune as many musicians joined and left in quite a procession over the next couple of years. John celebrated his 70th Birthday a couple of years ago and is playing as well as ever. This gives lie to the notion that life is over at forty and its all downhill from there on. The list of John’s protégées is a who’s who of the music business; a good proportion of whom are still playing today. John McVie, co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, Jack Bruce of Cream, Eric “Slowhand?Clapton, Peter Green, Aynsley Dunbar, Mick Taylor and many more.
The band that I believe was the turning point at this time was undoubtedly The Yardbirds, whose incredible energy and enthusiasm were absolutely unparalleled on stage. My first exposure to this Juggernaut was on a Monday morning at school one time when some friends told me about this amazing band that they had seen at the Marquee who had a Guitarist that was simply unbelievable. The Year was 1963, the man in question (well he was only 18 years old!) was Eric Clapton.
The Legend was already underway at this stage and I believe Eric was responsible for the huge interest brewing in the Blues in Britain as the Yardbirds became household names on the R n?B circuit. Many Guitars were sold at this time as young bloods attempted to emulate Clapton, some with success and many without. Probably one reason for the upsurge in Guitar bands as opposed to wishy washy pop sounds of the time was the discovery of the almost forgotten Gibson Les Paul which produced the sound closest to the Chicago Blues of a decade earlier. Eric’s use of this instrument took the Blues to a new height and no-one could escape the flood that was on the way. With the Yardbirds there was a mix of Gibson and Fender guitars in use. Eric initially played a Fender Telecaster with Rhythm Guitarist Chris Dreja using the Gibson 335, but the favourite in years to come particularly in ?5 and ?6 was the Les Paul.
In 1963 one of the first Bluesmen to arrive on this side of the Atlantic for a Tour was the legendary Harp player Sonny Boy Williamson who recorded a wonderful live album with the Yardbirds that was not released for several years. The restrained backing that the band provided to Sonny Boy showed them to be tight and controlled but Keith Relf the Lead singer and Harpist was a little put out at having to take a back seat to the Master during the gig. Many more Blues legends toured Britain and Europe in the following years which not only revitalised their own flagging careers but gave the budding white Blues players a chance to learn from the Maestros. These include Howling Wolf and the legendary Son House who had been a contemporary of Robert Johnson in the nineteen thirties. The author was privileged to see Son House play in London in 1970 shortly before he died. He was very frail but he certainly could make that National Steel Guitar sing sweetly!
The Album that preceded the Flood was of course the 1966 rendition by John Mayall entitled simply “John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton?/b> recorded on the Decca label .This album marked the first vocal airing by Slowhand and he chose Robert Johnson’s “Rambling on my Mind?as his debut. The interrelating of Mayall’s gutsy Barrelhouse Piano together with Eric’s Les Paul and his tentative vocals, wrote a piece of Blues History that day in the studio. That Album sums up for me not only the musicianship involved and the passion of the music but the very essence of the British interpretation of the Blues. I have listened to this song so many times now since the first momentous day that it came through the speakers and every time it’s hard to keep the emotions steady.
The Robert Johnson Legacy forms an integral and vital part of the Birth of the Blues in Britain and is responsible for the undoubted vitality of today’s thriving Blues scene on both sides of the Atlantic. There are no Blues Bands past or present who do not owe a debt to Robert Leroy and his magic. His genius and virtuosity with the bottleneck will live forever!
7 Tips for Effective Musical Practice
512
The quality of your practice is much more important than the quantity. The old saying “practice makes perfect” is only true if the practice itself is perfect. Here are 7 tips to help make your practice more effective and efficient.
piano playing, guitar playing, practice piano, practice guitar
The quality of your practice is much more important than the quantity. The old saying “practice makes perfect” is only true if the practice itself is perfect. Here are 7 tips to help make your practice more effective and efficient.
Practice motions slowly
The muscular memory of our bodies allows us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little or no conscious involvement. Examples of muscular memory include walking, riding a bicycle, typing, and of course playing a musical instrument.
In order to develop this memory, the muscles require training in the form of repeated conscious guidance from the mind. First the mind must learn the pattern. Then the mind must “teach” the pattern to the muscles.
The mind initially must control all the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions, the more quickly the muscles will develop muscle memory.
Slow practice also allows the mind to teach “antagonistic muscles” to relax. Antagonistic muscles are those that move in opposite directions. By relaxing antagonistic muscles you can reduce tension and facilitate faster and easier performance and avoid potential injury.
Practice in small cells
A “practice cell” is simply a finite series of motions. Musical cells can correspond to anything from a few notes to an entire work. When practicing, it is important to practice small cells of just a few notes. Practicing small cells limits the amount of information the muscles have to learn at one time. It also facilitates the mind’s focus and concentration.
Link the end of one cell to the beginning of the next
To help the muscles develop a sense of continuum throughout the piece of music, the last motion in a cell should be the first motion of the following cell.
Practice each cell in bursts
Once the muscles have learned a pattern, they will be capable of executing it without conscious control. Initiate the pattern through a conscious command and allow the muscles to execute it in a burst.
Don’t practice mistakes
For every repetition required to learn a pattern of motion, it takes 7 times the number of repetitions to change the pattern. If in the course of your practice you make an error, stop. Review in your mind the pattern. And further reduce the speed of your motions.
Pause between repetitions
When dealing with repetitive activities, the mind is better able to focus when the repetitions are broken up by short pauses. After two or three repetitions, pause for about 30 seconds to regain focus.
Take frequent breaks and don’t “over-practice”
B.F. Skinner and other experts have found that the mind’s ability to learn drops significantly after prolonged intense concentration. Research shows that studying too long (i.e. more than four hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain necessary for learning. Therefore, it is best to take frequent breaks (a 5 minute break about every 20-25 minutes) and practice no more than 4 hours consecutively.
By applying these techniques, you can dramatically improve the quality of your practice. You’ll be able to use your time more efficiently and increase the effectiveness of your practice.
Gibson Humbucker Guitar Strings
759
This is a new line of electric guitar string from the Gibson Guitar co. called Gibson Gear, Elgin, Illinois U.S.A. It’s new to me?
I’ve written articles calling the Gibson electric guitar string “the best?actually; they’re my favorite electric guitar strings. Like I’ve said before, “I’ve used most of the major string brands and I play all the time. Also, I know it’s been said time and again “that guitar strings have so much in common that there’s no discernable difference…
GUITAR STRINGS, guitar strings, guitar, rock music, gibson
This is a new line of electric guitar string from the Gibson Guitar co. called Gibson Gear, Elgin, Illinois U.S.A. It’s new to me?
I’ve written articles calling the Gibson electric guitar string “the best?actually; they’re my favorite electric guitar strings. Like I’ve said before, “I’ve used most of the major string brands and I play all the time. Also, I know it’s been said time and again “that guitar strings have so much in common that there’s no discernable difference between the various brands of strings? I can understand this sentiment, yet I’ve come to understand a few things regarding the manufacturing and the elements involved making the string do what it does.
Things like, cover to core ratio, (the gauge or diameter of the wire used for the strings). If you were to put a thicker core the string would seem to have a stiff feel, where if you’d use a thinner core wire the string would be feel loose and seem to bend more easily. Too much in either direction, and the string doesn’t work for anyone. The same for the alloys or types or metal used to make the string effects the sound and feel.
I was a die-hard steel wrapped string guy since the early eighties starting with Bill Laurence steel wrap guitar strings; I switched to The Gibson “Live Wires?and fell in love with the punch and (feel and sound) consistency not so much the gauge. Later, when the “Vintage Re-Issue?nickel wrapped string came out, I tried those and found that they felt smooth on my fingers and, the strings tended to have a different response and sound which I thought was interesting. I guess the nickel wrap with the plain steel strings made me feel like my solos kicked in the high places. And, I switched to those. You know, I liked the way those strings sounded. There was a nice decay and not too much spike compared to a shorter decay and higher spike like I felt with NPS (“Brite Wires?, yet there was a problem. The nickel cover was a very soft one so I’d encounter fret wear immediately. And, the string would lose tone.
The GIBSON HUMBUCKER strings are made to be more alive or easier for the pick-up to respond to. The package says, “The only guitar string optimized for the humbucking pickup, Gibson Humbucking guitar strings utilize a special composite core wire and a specially formulated wrap wire. This design offers a unique magnetic formulation to make the most of dual-coil high-output pickups? They sure write purdy.
I don’t use high-output pickups; I use the Gibson ?7 Classic?and “Classic Plus?pickups on my Gibson “Explorer?(called my Frankenfiddle). These strings felt good and the tone had a good blend and consistency between the wrapped and plain strings. I just put the strings on my guitars, the “Explorer?and 56 “Les Paul “Jr. (different pickups) forgot about it until I was on stage and rocking. I’ve been using the “Brite Wires?for the last few years Gibson has discontinued the steel wrap (“Live Wires? because I couldn’t afford to change my strings every single show for a good while there. Which made the “Vintage Re-issue?a no go. Since then I’ve never wanted to play strings that have no sound after the show. Too much hassle. And, the “Brite Wires?sound, was a good sound, everything was there. Nothing jumped out to me and I found myself just “playing guitar?
So here I am, playing a show and noticed the tone. Plus, my fingers felt different smacking those wires. The rest of the night was fun and “in the moment? The next week I called Gil Pini at Gibson Gear in Elgin to ask him what was up with these “bad boys?and he hipped me to the extra iron in those “kickin?rockers?
I don’t have any “insider details?concerning the “Gibson Humbucker?electric guitar strings. I know they are sealed for protection from oxidization for the elements as all their (Gibson Gear) strings are. These are my immediate reflections as an experienced performing musician, guitarist, and still? A fan!! Keep up the fantastic work, guys. You ROCK!!!!
When I find out more about the “Gibson Humbucker?electric guitar strings I’ll let you know.
Peace, and find your MUSE,
Michael Tafoya
p.s. I’m not affiliated with Gibson Guitar I’m a fan and customer.
Choosing a Music Subscription Service
508
If “legally?filling up your MP3 player with gigabytes of music for less than the retail price of a single album interests you, then it is time to choose a music subscription service. Digital music is an emerging market with three major players enticing thousands of people to give up pirating their music and actually paying for it.
mp3, digital music, music subscription service, rhapsody, napster, yahoo music unlimited
If “legally?filling up your MP3 player with gigabytes of music for less than the retail price of a single album interests you, then it is time to choose a music subscription service. Digital music is an emerging market with three major players enticing thousands of people to give up pirating their music and actually paying for it.
When taken into consideration that people have been stealing music long before the advent of the MP3 file, which made pirating music a widespread epidemic, why now are people all of a sudden going straight? So many, that 2005 was the first year legal downloads of music exceeded illegal downloads on P2P sites. Thank Rhapsody, Napster, and Yahoo Music Unlimited for finally offering a model that makes sense. Instead of buying songs or albums, they offer subscribers the ability to rent their entire collection of over 1 million tracks for a low monthly fee. Buying thousands of tracks on Apple’s iTunes would cost thousands of dollars, where you can easily download 10,000 or more songs to your MP3 player through a music subscription service for as low as $4.99 a month.
Aside from the cost savings, renting music has more advantages over buying. For one, it is convenient. Imaging having over 1 million full length high quality songs at your fingertips, so whether you want to listen to your favorite song, something different on an impulse, or are just curious about an emerging artist, you can have it all. On top of that, you don’t have to worry about slow downloads, poor audio quality, corrupt or infected files.
Convinced? So which music subscription service is right for you?
While they are all pretty comparable, Rhapsody is probably the cream of the crop. They offer the most streamlined interface and the best jukebox functionality, all accessible from any PC connected to the web. Artist bios, radio stations (which allow you to skip songs), and advanced playlist features are all integrated into the interface. For $14.99 a month, this is a great value. Subscribers also have the option to download songs for 89 cents a track.
Napster also has an attractive interface with advanced playlist features and a massive catalog of music that is continually growing. It has a few nice personalization features, but transferring songs to an MP3 player can be more difficult with Napster than the alternatives. For $14.95 a month and 99 cent tracks, it is still a great value.
Yahoo Music Unlimited is the least expensive option, charging only $4.99 a month and just 79 cent tracks. It includes a nice jukebox, radio stations (which allow you to skip songs), and can integrate with the popular Yahoo Messenger client. If the appealing price outweighs a lack of extras like artist bios and a few bugs here and there, then Yahoo is probably the way to go.
With digital music sales soaring, it is a safe bet that all three of these music subscription services will flourish and continue to develop even more features, grow their already extensive catalogs, and convert more and more pirates into renters.