SA Online Music pricing comparison

[Avenue]

OK so just so I get this right, I can use torrents and download illegal music that works on any player with no restrictions or I can spend money and the music will be loaded with DRM... Hmm I love buying things and then having people tell me how I can use them!

Go no DRM and then we can talk till then take it and stick it where the sun don't shine!

+1

 

[rbarryza]

Ain't that one of them dodgy Russian sites?

Yeah. If you're going to pirate music, why pay some Russian site for the privilege?

 

[Creag]

Well Rhythm i use simply because of the Afrikaans/South African music, and their songs are R7 per song which at least compares with international pricing [even though you can't find the songs internationally] . All the other services mentioned should be compared to international shops, because i don't get any benefit from buying an international song "local". There's no "import" schlep with this, so local companies in this space really need to up their game if they actually want to compete.

So for example, R10 a song is already more expensive than overseas offerings. Normally it's $0.5 - $1 a song AND they give discount if you buy an album. This also tends to be DRM free too. Unless the R/$ is above R10, there is almost ZERO reason to buy a song "locally" .

Also, overseas shops tend to have a much larger database and tends to include alot of the indie/international artists too.

While that GetMo sub service looks good , it's way too restrictive and you are forced to maintain a sub to continue listening to your songs. So i guess it's a good way to "trial" songs and then buy the actual songs you like somewhere else. If you ever want to build up a nice collection of "eternal classics", the GetMo service is not going to work for you.

I'm also not even mentioning services that integrate with your device [Zune / ITunes] , which is also alot more convenient to use than a different shop with DRM which may or may not work on your device.

Thanks, good post!

 

[diabolus]

On a comparative note to the Telkom GetMo service. This is Microsoft's equivalent:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zune#Music

As of June 2009, as an alternative to Microsoft Points, the Zune Pass is a subscription service that allows users to pay a flat monthly fee of US$14.99. Zune Pass subscribers can download unlimited music from the Zune Marketplace. Zune Pass downloads cannot be burnt to audio CD unless purchased, and become unplayable if the subscription lapses, or if in the future Microsoft should decide to discontinue the service. The Zune pass allows for 3 Zunes to share the downloaded DRM content as well as the content to be downloaded on up to 3 computers.[63] Zune Pass subscribers are also able to keep 10 songs per month. This is offered in the form of a 10-song credit each month that doesn't rollover. The songs can be purchased as DRM-free MP3 files, when available.

So it's equally restrictive, but the last part is important, so you do get to keep some songs permanently.

Obviously the other catch, Telkom is still using playforsure DRM...isn't that obsolete/no longer properly supported world wide? . Even Microsoft [the creators of it?] is not longer using that form of DRM. Zune, for example, can't play PlayforSure files...


And as for ITunes:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/ne...e-shifts-song-prices-many-129-few-069-tracks/

7 Apr 2009

Apple today changed the pricing scheme for individual songs sold through the iTunes Store, with some tracks increasing in price to $1.29, and others dropping in price to $0.69. This change comes in conjunction with the store making a move to an almost completely DRM-free catalog of iTunes Plus offerings; some DRM-locked music files—including some music videos—still remain in the Store, while others have disappeared entirely.

So that is the benchmark imho, any local company that tries to sell music that are more expensive and/or DRM-protected are wasting everyone's time. This is also rather old news, but Apple did say that want get to the $0.70 per song price point, with the popular songs being the $1.29.

 

[porchrat]

Yeah. If you're going to pirate music, why pay some Russian site for the privilege?

I suppose you could argue you thought they were legal when the court case happens?

 

[Carbon_Fibre]

What a pityful selection we have in SA, no wonder people download music illegally.

I need:
Large selection of music including the latest US/UK chart singles
DRM Free
MP3 at 320kps
R7 per song

Otherwise don't waste my time.

 

[BishopZA]

Give www.mediawob.com a shot. They allow you to buy from the US iTunes Store (which has DRM-free content) and iTunes works great. I've been using their services for more than a year now and am very happy.
There is also some SA content in the US iTunes Store - I got my Zebra & Giraffe CD from there!

 

[ThatOtherGuy]

Can't you get a Virtual CD-Writer, that will capture the mp3 burning directly in digital format, and just save it back to mp3.

Like how you get Virtual PDF printers. You "print" an MS Word document to this virtual printer, and it saves the file as PDF...

So you set up your Virtual CD-Writer as a 52x speed burner , tell it to save everything to some folder on your PC. Then iTunes, Nokia software, etc, will just burn to this virtual CD-Writer, and not know the difference?

Surely this has been thought of before, and shouldn't be too hard to implement?

Will save you loads of time, and you don't have to waste CDs, or even bother with slow re-writables.

I buy sheet music online and these sites normally only allow you to print the music...1 copy. I tried PDF printers to jippo the system, but somehow it don't work...saves a password protected file....anyway, off the topic, just thought I'd throw it in there...LOL

 

[Juice]

I buy sheet music online and these sites normally only allow you to print the music...1 copy. I tried PDF printers to jippo the system, but somehow it don't work...saves a password protected file....anyway, off the topic, just thought I'd throw it in there...LOL

More DRM fail. Print one copy, and make 5000 coppies with your scanner/printer or photocopier...

 

[mangoman]

I buy sheet music online and these sites normally only allow you to print the music...1 copy. I tried PDF printers to jippo the system, but somehow it don't work...saves a password protected file....anyway, off the topic, just thought I'd throw it in there...LOL

Off topic indeed, but get PDFCreator. It's free and "prints" to PDF and thus should sort you out . You click File>Print and select your "printer" to be PDFCreator.

Back on topic, this selection is PITIFUL!

No, I DO NOT want DRM, and no I DO NOT want any bitrate below 256kb/s. Not because I can hear the difference, but because I can buy a CD for the same Goddam price!

As I said on MIO, you can buy a local CD for R100 on average and use it ANYWHERE YOU WANT, so R100 for local music at low bitrate and DRM is totally retarded. And for international music, international sites have a better selection in better quality at a better price without DRM. Even more expensive international sites charge less than R100 per album and their users complain that it's as expensive as CD. That's not the case here - not even for local music! EVERYONE is ripping us off here!

I should also add that I don't know a single person who uses one of these sites. You'd think they'd actually want to attract customers!

 

[freshcode]

RhythmMusicStore.com

Hi Guys

Full disclosure: I represent RhythmMusicStore.com and I would like to respond to some of your questions and concerns on digital downloads in SA.

Thanks to the great support we have received from you, the South African online community, we have grown our catalogue to 73,000+ tracks from our meagre start in August 2006 with only 700 tracks. Since 2008, Rhythm's prices have remained low @ R7 per track for all tracks with discount on prepaid credit. Now, on DRM and other legal stuff:

• Rhythm is DRM-free. You can burn your downloaded music to a CD for personal use or put it on your iPod. None of that restrictive legal nonsense.
• @Juice: Most Russian sites are illegal by international laws and do not make payouts to artists. Artists receive bi-annual payouts from Rhythm and earn 35%+ more than they would on equivalent CD sales @ R120-R140.
• @GreGorGy, @Carbon_Fibre and @diabolus: our catalogue is growing on a daily basis (3,176 new tracks added this week) and is scheduled to expand in a big way over the next two months with a focus on international music.
• Almost all the music on Rhythm is 192Kbps CBR pure with some of the most popular tunes available at 320Kbps by popular demand.
• @j@w: It's not just me, and that was last year .

Thank you for all your positive comments. We are continually improving our store and actively respond to constructive feedback, so do not hesitate to email [email protected] with your best suggestions and concerns.

Kind regards
Petrus Theron
[email protected]
RhythmMusicStore.com
Lead Developer

 

[GreGorGy]

Yes, I see you Twisted Sister on there now - fan-friking-tastic