The arrival of the year-end "best music" lists (discussed in an earlier article) is more fun when you can play the music. Upon reviewing the Metacritic Best of 2004 list, I ran to Rhapsody to see which albums (as a subscriber) I could play for free. Of the top thirty albums, fourteen were available in their entirety, while three were available as partial albums (see Rhapsody playlist links below). The freedom to play these albums without having to reach for my wallet is appealing indeed. I may not like them all, but at least I'll be able to give them a chance. If I had to buy them, maybe I'd try one or two.

Having done this, I then wondered, "How do the other online music services stack-up in terms of selection and price, when it comes to carrying these thirty critically acclaimed albums?" So, I went online and tallied the results for Rhapsody, Musicmatch, iTunes, Napster, eMusic, and Wal-Mart.

• The online jukebox services (Rhapsody, Napster, and Musicmatch On-Demand) each carried roughly half of the albums.
• The download store with the best selection, Apple's iTunes Music Store, carried roughly three-quarters of the albums; the other download stores, roughly half the albums. By contrast, Amazon had CD versions of every album, both new and used.
• The independent label downloading service, eMusic, did surprisingly well, offering a quarter of the albums on the list, even though no major label artists are included in its catalog. Given that eMusic offers music at a much lower price ($0.25 a track with the standard subscription), this is significant.
• Downloaded albums were cheapest at eMusic ($3.71) and costliest at Napster ($13.35), on average. The Napster albums cost more in part because some of the larger albums could only be bought by the track, which significantly increased the per-album price. Albums from Wal-Mart were the cheapest of the major label services, costing $9.63 on average. Following Wal-Mart, were Rhapsody ($10.47), Musicmatch ($10.62), and iTunes ($10.88). In contrast, new CDs from Amazon averaged $14.07 (less shipping). Used CDs averaged $10.14 (less shipping).
• Per track prices were as follows: eMusic ($0.25), Rhapsody ($0.79), Wal-Mart ($0.88), Musicmatch ($0.99), Napster ($0.99), and iTunes ($0.99).

A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing more details can be found here.

I was disappointed that the top online jukebox services only carried half the albums on the Metacritic Best of 2004 list. But then again, the glass is half full, and sure to become fuller over the next year or two. In selection, Rhapsody had a slight edge over Musicmatch On-Demand and Napster, but I wouldn't use to this to decide which service to use. Other factors, such as the interface and features, are more important.

When it comes to buying entire albums, the online music services didn't outshine the CD store at Amazon.com. First, the online music services didn't have all the albums on the Metacritic list, while Amazon did. And while a downloaded album can be delivered more quickly and conveniently than a CD, it wasn't always cheaper. In three cases out of thirty, I found it cheaper to buy a used CD and pay for shipping than to buy the album as a download. If you're interested in paying the lowest price, check the used CD prices online. In some cases, new CDs are competitive if you take advantage of free shipping from stores like Amazon, usually available if you spend more than $25. In general, though, these albums cost less to download than to buy as CDs.

Of course, the CD store won't let you buy the music by the track, while the online music services do, making it much cheaper to buy the three songs you want rather than the entire album. Among the a la carte download stores, Apple's iTunes Music Store ($0.99/ track) offered more of the albums than any of the Windows-based download stores. But it was a Windows-based store, Wal-Mart Music Downloads ($0.88/track), that was cheapest.

Due to the ongoing compatibility battle between Apple and Microsoft, people will have to choose between Apple's or Microsoft's format if they want to buy major label music and download it to their hard drives. This means patronizing the download stores that support the chosen format.

Two subscription-based services offer cheaper downloads than the a la carte download stores. The first is Rhapsody ($0.79/track), which differs in that it requires you to burn the songs directly to a CD (after which you can play them or rip them to your computer). The second is the independent label-only MP3 downloading service, eMusic ($0.25), which carried seven out of thirty albums on the Metacritic list. For the discerning music fan willing to spend $10/ month on music, eMusic is a bargain. Note that by using their free trial (50 free tracks), you could bag four of these albums for free! What's more, eMusic's use of the neutral MP3 format means that you can play the music in just about any portable music player or computer.

1. SMiLE by Brian Wilson (Rhapsody Playlist)
2. Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn (Rhapsody Playlist)
3. Madvillainy by Madvillain
4. The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads [2004 Version] by Talking Heads (Rhapsody Playlist)
5. Boy In Da Corner by Dizzee Rascal (Rhapsody Playlist) (eMusic)
6. A Grand Don't Come For Free by The Streets (Rhapsody Playlist)
7. HoboSapiens by John Cale (eMusic)
8. Last Exit by Junior Boys
9. Ta Det Lugnt by Dungen
10. College Dropout by Kanye West (Rhapsody Playlist - Partial)
11. Rejoicing In The Hands by Devendra Banhart
12. From A Basement On The Hill by Elliott Smith (Rhapsody Playlist) (eMusic)
13. You're A Woman, I'm A Machine by Death From Above 1979 (Rhapsody Playlist)
14. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds (eMusic 1/ emusic 2)
15. The Dirty South by Drive-By Truckers (Rhapsody Playlist)
16. Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens
17. Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand (Rhapsody Playlist)
18. Showtime by Dizzee Rascal (Rhapsody Playlist) (eMusic)
19. Now, More Than Ever by Jim Guthrie
20. Favourite Colours by The Sadies (eMusic)
21. Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts by M83 (Rhapsody Playlist Partial)
22. The Futureheads by The Futureheads
23. Beautifully Human: Words And Sounds Vol. 2 by Jill Scott (Rhapsody Playlist)
24. Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine by Cee-Lo (Rhapsody Playlist Partial)
25. Murs 3:16 The 9th Edition by Murs (Rhapsody Playlist)
26. Bubblegum by Mark Lanegan Band (Rhapsody Playlist) (eMusic)
27. The Real New Fall L.P. (Formerly Country On The Click) by The Fall
28. Crimes by The Blood Brothers (Rhapsody Playlist)
29. These Were The Earlies by The Earlies
30. Blue Cathedral by Comets On Fire

Source: Metacritic Web site (http://www.metacritic.com)

—Andy Breeding

• Using Best-of Lists 
• Finding Album Reviews 
• Cherry Picking the Best From 2004 (best-of lists)

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