SA Digital Music pricing comparison
There are a number of digital music vendors in South Africa, generally offering subscription and music download services to the public. All music websites are however not the same.
Aside from price, other important considerations include what format the files are in and whether they contain Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection. Through DRM, some services will only allow you access to the music you have downloaded whilst your subscription remains active, or only on the device on which it is downloaded. Others offer DRM free music in MP3 format which are yours to own thereafter.
MyBroadband investigated a number of local digital music stores to find out what each has to offer, and compare their pricing.
Rhythm Music specialises in South African music. All songs cost R7 each to download, with no set rate for a full album download. In other words, a 10 track album will cost R70, and a 15 track album will cost R105. All of the songs are in MP3 format – and hence DRM free – and come in a 192Kb/s Constant Bitrate (CBR) format.
GETMO falls under the ‘Do’ brand from Telkom, and is a subscription based service. Do Broadband subscribers pay R60 (non-subscribers pay R70) for 30 day access to the service which allows them to download as many international and local songs as they want onto either a cellphone or PC.
GETMO uses Microsoft’s PlayForSure DRM technology. This means that the tracks will only work on compatible MP3 players or in Windows Media Player. This system also monitors the subscription status, so songs will not work if the subscription has expired. Users will have to download the Media Suite software through which they register as a user with their cellphone number.
The MTN Loaded portal offers all sorts of digital downloads among their music offerings. Local and international tracks are available for R10 each, but they are protected by DRM and will only work on the device they are downloaded onto.
The Nokia Music Store was recently launched in South Africa and offers an array of local and international artists. The store can be accessed through either a cellphone or a PC using the Nokia Ovi Player. Songs typically cost R10 each while full albums typically sell for R100. The files are in Windows Media Format and are DRM protected, usable only through the Nokia Ovi software on a PC or a compatible Nokia phone. Nokia has hinted that they will be moving away from DRM sometime in 2010.
Online music pricing – discussion
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