That burning sensation
I don’t usually laugh at lame-ass technology jokes. The plebeian in me won’t allow it. But I did snigger like a tech-savvy git way back in September 2005 when US sociopolitical comedian Bill Maher commented on the launch of the iPod nano.
He steepled his hands under his chin and, fluttering his eyelids, announced: “It’s so slim Kate Moss uses it to cut her cocaine.” Ha ha. Ahem.
When over-the- hill comedians start talking about the iPod as if everyone’s supposed to know what they are, I tend to choke up. Why? Because a) it makes me realise that the fuddy-duddies aren’t as clueless as they seem; and b) if I catch the joke I’m obviously not as clueless as I seem to be to my mates. But that’s another story. Anyway, the Apple iPod has permeated society.
It isn’t just a popular MP3 consumer brand — it is the most popular on the market. The iPod (which takes its name from a word Apple had first registered for Internet kiosks, blah, blah, blah) was released, like, way back in 2001 and it’s taken, what, five years to become a household acronym? Remarkable.
What made it so revolutionary was, I guess, its function and aesthetic. It was practical, easy to use and so damn hot. I’m serious: if there’s anyone out there who doesn’t think that its sleek white casing, roller pad and touch tones are a downright turn-on, well, let’s just say that those people don’t know what it’s like to fall in love, or to be envious, for that matter.
I’m not alone when I say this; I mean, Queen Elizabeth II is a lot of things, but she knew what she was doing when she gave that CBE to iPod’s designer, Jonathan P Ive. And I bet her eyes twinkled when she pinned that cross on his lapel.
Moving on. It’s been voted Best Gadget by Tech Digest, while the iPod Shuffle has been voted top “Chav Gadget” (don’t ask).
It is the fashion accessory must- have, one that I have integrated into my lifestyle with ease, and it has opened doors for others, like Creative, Axiz, Kalliba, MSI, Zling; now Microsoft is to follow suit with its own hip MP3 players.
In a nutshell, iPod and the others are the future, determining the way I consume music; how I buy and listen to music and now that the hype has died down over which one to own, my focus is back on the tunes and burning the tracks I want from the Internet, instead of having to buy CDs and burn the songs from my PC to my player. Thank God music industry bigwigs have realised the possibilities of cheap web distribution — and now there are numerous places for me to visit to get the songs I want, no, need.
However, the question I’ve been asking lately is: what’s the best place to begin burning? Sure, I’m not gonna be ripping as much as the Americans and Europeans, but what sites are on offer?
Apple’s iTunes paved the way for the digital downloading of online music and has seriously helped curb some of the pirating out there, but Apple’s still dragging its feet on launching iTunes for South Africa.
Then there are the hassles with trying to burn from Napster, Wippit and TuneTribe due to bandwidth, so that got me thinking there must be some local digi-music stores.
There are some, heh-heh, nasty search engines like iMesh and Kazaa that’ll seriously “pilfer” those songs and music videos for me, but there are other — legitimate — places to download, surely?
So, I went snooping around and checked out a few SA sites offering song shopping and also found an international one that’s, quite simply, the pick of the lot. I’ve compared their look, what tracks they have on archive, prices and whether they’re navigation friendly.
Oh yeah, and I also found this awesome website http://www.100topmp3sites.com , which has a list of the coolest music sites, from the latest music to karaoke.
Local is lekker
Patriotic to SA’s music tastes and simple to use, albeit not so hot on sound quality
It’s been around for a while and has a great SA artist archive, which you can burn without having to register. Artists range from The Awakening to Valiant Swart. Plus it provides tunes for MWeb’s entertainment section. The navigation is by-the- numbers easy. The only problem is that it doesn’t have enough music for all tastes. Oh yeah, and the cover art is seriously lacking.
Pricey perfection
Looks great, but the prices will make your bottom lip tremble
Musica is the hottest-looking local site and has most artists, some independent labels and even tracks by indie gods Belle and Sebastian. Navigation is easy, fast and supplies one with genres and label and rights information. Problem is the price: R9.99 may be a bit steep and some may argue that burning from international sites is cheaper. However, musica.co.za can be trusted and Allofmp3 can’t.
Black like me
The gateway to African soul; seriously expensive
Created with African ex-pats in mind, AfrodesiaMP3 centres its archive around dance music from the African continent. It also prides itself on being the best platform for African record labels, artists and producers. Its archive includes Mafikizolo and Bongo Maffin, but at R13 a pop some may find it a bit of a rip- off. If you have the cash and are into reggae, trip-hop, World Africa, tribal, gospel, jazz/lounge and Afro-pop, this is the place.
Devil’s in the details
Good sound, value for money
\Launched in September, emusic is fantastic. There are two million songs to choose from and it plays with any portable player. Tunes burn at R2.30, but the site also offers a monthly subscription, the cheapest being R124, which is pretty good considering that you’re able to download 40 songs a month. The sound is good; the site is easy to navigate and there’s a prompt that will to help you register. Niiiiice.
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