Is good buying music from Internet?
The most important thing of buying music from internet on legal sites, is that single songs can be downloaded: dependening on e-stores you can: buy singles songs, make a subscription with which you can download a number of songs each month or that you can have it without paying, but you must watch ads during download.
If you have downloaded some tracks and you want buy all the album, some e-stores offers a button that make you pay the difference beetween the price of all album and what have you just payed whith single songs.
At least there are e-stores that does not allow the buying of each single: some songs can be buyed only from who acquire all the tracks frustrating so the vatngaes of buying only the songs that interest.
An important thing is make attention on drm: the site that use those systems expect that the program (that can be iTunes o Windows Media Player) connects on internet for verifying the song has been effectively buyed from your account. But if the e-store decide to close, the acquired music will be lost.
Here is a comparison beetwen fnac e-store ad iTunes Music Store:
Experiment 1: Jovanotti - Safari (prices updated on 7/1/09)
From fnac it can be buyed at 20,90 euros both cd+dvd (on offered) and cd only versions (not on offered).
On iTunes Music Store all tracks can be buyed for 6,99 euro. The single track can be buyed for 99 cents and the tracks are 13, of which only 12 can be buyed: the 13th (Punto - vecchio franc version) is offered free at who want to buy the full album.
Experiment 2: Laura Pausini - Primavera in anticipo (prices updated on 7/1/09)
From fnac store the album can be buyed at 17,90 on offered.
On iTunes Music Store all tracks can be buyed for 12,99 euro. 13 song can be buyed, the last 3 (un tiempo en el que vivir, un giorno dove vivere ed agora nao) are offred free at who want to buy the full album.
Experiment 3: Irene Grandi - Canzoni per natale (prices updated on 7/1/09)
From fnac the cd can be buyed for 20,60 euros.
On iTunes Music Store the full album can be buyed for 9,99 euros. 20 tracks can be buyed, the last (christmastime) is offered free at who want to buy the full album.
Experiment 4: Irene Grandi - Irene Grandi.Hits (prices updated on 7/1/09)
From fnac the cd can be buyed for 10,90 euros.
On iTunes Music Store are two versions of the same album: the first can be downloaded for 14,99 euros,the second for 6,93 euros.
Looking for differences i found that the second version does not have a song and does not have the digital version of booklet.
There are not the same thing because comments from downloaders are different
On 3 tests of 4 iTunes music store wins.
It was to be expected because the "phisic part" of cd is not present (the paper of booklet, the platisc of jawel, the metal of cd).
In addition form this experiments evinces that iTunes is more cheaper than fnac of albums that are just been released, but not quite cheaper for albums that are been published from some time.
In addition on fnac site cannot be found album relased mutch time a go (as La rondine of Mango) instead on iTunes this album can be downloaded from 9,99 euros.
My advice is make a prepaid card and buy music online, taking appropiates contermeasures (as backup of all hard disk) for drm.
Changelog
12/04/09: Article was submited to new FSFE Fellow site
07/01/09: Article released on FSFE Fellow site