Rhapsody rocks!

[rincon]

I have been a subscriber for about 10 years. I have had parties where people played whatever they wanted through my stereo. I recently bought a Sansa 4 gig MP3 player and bought an 8 gig extra card. I then realized that I could download anything Rhapsody has on my Sansa hardrive. Rhapsody has the full catalog of about 90% of all bands. So for a $10 a month subscription, and a $40 player, you can hear whatever you want on the go. I download albums and decide if they are keepers, delete what  I don't want, and can hear almost anything I want.  You can't transfer them to another drive, so my 8 gig is only for stuff I own from CD's, but what a wonderful musical investment it is. My kids use IPods and ITunes. I hate that program.

[el_chode]

I still like owning my music and not having the industry violate Copyright law by telling me what I can and cannot do with things after I pay good value for them.

[rincon]

Whatever ones philosophy, I get to hear tons of albums I never heard before, and can download new albums the day the come out. The world is a corporation, and everything someone does is a choice from the options the powerbrokers give you. Unless you live under a rock off the grid, but if you have an internet connection, I doubt that is the situation.

[el_chode]

Ah yes, but principle is something I stand behind as often as possible. Some call it just being a pain in the ass, but I believe in first sale, and I believe the industry is trying to take it away from us by moving to a license-only model. I don't like that. I don't like being told how or when or where I can listen to my music unless that is dictated by physical barriers (vinyl in a car, for example).

Just like I will never go through a TSA scanner and I only eat from managed fisheries and seasonal produce, so goes my music.

Just remember, you only get those things so long as Rhapsody does as the RIAA says they should. The minute there's a dispute, suddenly you find yourself 1984'd like many Kindle users and Hulu subscribers.

[rincon]

Ten bucks a month. I will live with it. An Ipod cost 4 times a Sansa. Rhapsody is not so different from Netflix, which I hear is quite good. I finally know what all the underground hoopla regarding Sonic Youth is about. Never bought any of their stuff, and no friends were into them, and they certainly were not on the radio. Now I have 3 albums to enjoy, a dozen more available, and if they suck, I just dump it and get some Flaming Lips or something. I completed my MMJ catalog. All for the price of 2 days worth of gasoline a month.

[Jon T.]

I use Napster, but it's the same concept.  I'm a big fan of the service.  I get in on my iphone so it's basically like I've got an endless supply of music at all times.  I can't believe it doesn't cost more than it does.  When an album comes out that I have to own, I'll just buy it.  But for the other endless amount of albums I want to listen to during the month, I'll gladly pay $10 to borrow them.

[el_chode]

Strangely, I have no such issues with visual media. I really don't know why. Maybe because I'm not as big a consumer of it, but probably also because of the nature of it. Music meant to be portable and go anywhere, whereas a movie isn't. Often, I'll watch a movie once and have no use for it again until years later, where traditionally it's easily available in one form or another.

Music on the other hand belongs in my pocket and my stereo and my car and my backyard and I'll be damned if I'll put the control of that in the hands of the RIAA or AT&T

[rincon]

Well, even George Wallace was able to compromise his strong views. Check out the DBT song 3 Great Alabama Icons. I hope you own it, or else you can't!

[sweatboard]

Where there's a will there's a way.....