Do Amazon's MP3 downloads embed personal information?

[Josh7289]

So I recently read on DailyTech that iTunes' DRM-free songs embed your personal information in each M4A file, and I asked this question in the comments section of that news story, but I didn't get an answer, so again, do Amazon's MP3 downloads embed personal information in each MP3 file?

Just a simple question that would make a big difference in where I choose to buy my music.

Oh, and any other recommendations for DRM-free music outside of iTunes and Amazon would be appreciated.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't know about Amazon. If they do embed personal info, I imagine it could be stripped out. I use Emusic for music downloads. They don't have all the big label artists, but if you're more interested in good music, than popular brands, you should be able to find much to your liking. I've gotten tons of great music that I otherwise wouldn't have found by searching Emusic, and downloading music that looked like it might be good.

Edit:
For linkage

Edit2:
The artists I've downloaded...


128 Artists Begins With:

* A Sunny Day In Glasgow
* Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.
* Akron/Family
* Albert Ayler
* Albert Collins
* Albert King With Stevie Ray Vaughan
* Alfredo Rodriguez
* Andy McKee
* Annbjorg Lien

* Bebo Valdes
* Benny Goodman
* Big Lazy
* Bill Haley And The Comets
* Blackmore's Night
* Bluiett Baritone Nation
* Boris Kovac
* Brian Setzer

* Carlos Santana & Wayne Shorter
* Carolina Chocolate Drops
* Caspian
* Cat Power
* Cecil Taylor & Buell Neidlinger
* Charles Mingus
* Chico O'Farrill
* Christian Scott
* Chuck Berry
* Coleman Hawkins
* Cornell Dupree
* Cranes
* Crimetime Orchestra

* Daturah
* David Cullen & Michael Manring
* Demania (de Grassi/Manring/Garcia Trio)
* Deuter
* Dexter Gordon
* Dizzy Gillespie And Machito
* Duke Ellington

* Eric Dolphy
* Erik Mongrain

* Fats Domino
* Fats Navarro
* Fela Kuti
* Fleetwood Mac
* Flook
* Flying Saucer Attack
* Frank Morgan
* Frank Strozier
* Funkadelic

* Garmarna
* Gavin Bryars / Philip Jeck / Alter Ego
* George Thorogood
* godspeed you! black emperor
* Groupa

* halloweensounds
* Harald Haugaard / Anders Mogensen
* Houston Person
* Howlin' Wolf

* Jimmy Smith
* Joe Henderson, Al Foster, Charlie Haden
* Joey DeFrancesco
* John Coltrane
* Jonathan Goldman
* Jorma Kaukonen and Tom Constanten
* Joy Wants Eternity

* Kathryn Selby
* King Bennie Nawahi
* King Sunny Ade
* Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
* Kroke

* Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather
* Laura
* Leon Fleisher
* Les Yeux Noirs
* Lounge Lizards

* Meridian Arts Ensemble
* Michael Manring
* Miles Davis
* Minus Story
* Mississippi John Hurt
* Mogwai

* Nabil Khemir
* New Guitar summit

* Ornette Coleman

* Paul Bley
* Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster & Panaiotis
* Phil Woods

* Rasputina
* Richard Groove Holmes
* Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom
* Ronnie Earl
* Ronnie Earl & Duke Robillard
* ROTFLMAO
* Russian Circles

* Sam And Dave
* Santana
* Shane MacGowan
* Shirelles
* SIANspheric
* Sigur Ros
* Snowden
* Sonny Rollins
* Sprengjuh?llin
* Sun Ra
* Switchblade Symphony

* Tantric Circle
* Teo Macero
* The Airmen Of Note
* The Aqua Velvets
* The Brian Setzer Orchestra
* The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
* The El Dorados
* The Instruments
* The String Cheese Incident
* Thelonious Monk

* Uncle Black

* Various Artists
* Various Artists - Arhoolie Records
* Various Artists - Cantos
* Various Artists - Curve Music
* Various Artists - eMusic
* Various Artists - Four Quarters Records
* Various Artists - Frochot Music
* Various Artists - Funky Delicacies
* Various Artists - Music Resource Group
* Various Artists - Real Music

* West Side Horns
* William Basinski And Richard Chartier

* Zaïko Langa Langa

 

[MrChad]

The "personal information" in the M4A file is the email address of your iTunes account and your date of purchase, for what it's worth. Nothing to get worked up about, IMO.

 

[Josh7289]

Well, I just opened up an iTunes M4A file with Notepad and one of the first things I saw was my full name, so I think it's probably more than just my email address and my date of purchase that's embedded.

Any other information on iTunes or Amazon downloads and embedding personal information would be appreciated. And any other recommendations for music download services would be appreciated, as well, even if they're not DRM-free since they may become DRM-free later.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I purchased some Amazon MP3s for the first time several weeks ago and don't recall any information that couldn't be taken out or removed using any common ID3 editor. I recall that a song or transaction ID was embedded into the "Comment" field, but I simply removed this info using MP3tag.