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Where to purchase DRM free, 320 kbps or greater mp3s?

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Really there's nothing wrong with 256kbps VBR. I think even the audiophiles at places like Head-Fi tend to consider it superior to 320kbps CBR. You get basically the same fidelity, but smaller file sizes. And Amazon is definitely your best option for more mainstream stuff. For indie music there are a ton of choices, though, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
 
darkswordsman17 said:
Checking it out now, looks like it might be decent.
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It's got some competitive pricing too. Almost everything is .77/song or lower. The new LCD Soundsystem album is actually cheaper there than amazon. And free access to it through your account and no program to install. And no DRM.
 
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skace said:
The reason for FLAC is not because I can tell the difference (I don't want to get into that argument). It's more because if I'm going to pay money for a digital copy, I want one that I can use for archive purposes and re-encode as I see fit. Give me a FLAC, let me make a 190 mp3, 320 mp3, or even an ogg.

FLAC is the nearest thing to digitally owning a CD.
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I don't know why people don't get this simple concept. If you buy an MP3, that's what you've got. An MP3. Re-encode that when the next popular format comes out and you've got a garbled mess of doubly compressed crap. Always start with the best format possible, it's easy to convert down.
 
BoberFett said:
I don't know why people don't get this simple concept. If you buy an MP3, that's what you've got. An MP3. Re-encode that when the next popular format comes out and you've got a garbled mess of doubly compressed crap. Always start with the best format possible, it's easy to convert down.
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Another good reason to use FLAC is that just because you don't have the equipment to hear the difference now, doesn't mean you never will. I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, but maybe in 10 years I will decide I can "hear the difference" on whatever hi-fi system exists at the time. What if all my stuff is in .mp3? I'm screwed. I just love the flexability of FLAC.
 
AMDZen said:
I love how quickly this became an argument about lossless versus mp3 rather then just about where to get quality music without DRM.

It kind of depends on what music you like also - unfortunately finding DRM free music that is POP music is nearly impossible. Meaning all the stuff they play on the radio, whether you like rock, country, rap or what.
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Amazon MP3s are DRM-free. iTunes offers DRM-free AAC files.

If you want lossless DRM-free music, there's always CDs.
 
BoberFett said:
I don't know why people don't get this simple concept. If you buy an MP3, that's what you've got. An MP3. Re-encode that when the next popular format comes out and you've got a garbled mess of doubly compressed crap. Always start with the best format possible, it's easy to convert down.
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Most people listen to their music on $5 earbuds. Obviously fidelity isn't their primary concern, portability and convenience are.

I feel the same way, though, but for different reasons. I couldn't tell the difference between high bitrate MP3 (using a good encoder like LAME) and lossless. However, I just don't like the idea of paying CD prices for MP3 albums that are technically inferior to their lossless counterparts. I'd rather just get the CD and rip to lossless, then transcode to lossy formats for my mobile devices.
 
frostedflakes said:
Really there's nothing wrong with 256kbps VBR. I think even the audiophiles at places like Head-Fi tend to consider it superior to 320kbps CBR. You get basically the same fidelity, but smaller file sizes. And Amazon is definitely your best option for more mainstream stuff. For indie music there are a ton of choices, though, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
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Audiophiles don't do MP3 😉 Hell, most audiophiles won't do anything digital, period
 
Let me add fuel to the fire:

The biggest problem with recorded music isn't the medium, its the crappy ass mixing that happens.

Carry on.
 
bobdole369 said:
This statement is bullshit.
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Fine, on a crappy car stereo.

There's a reason sales of hi-fi equipment have dropped like a rock over the last 20 years....and its not because people are poor. Most people just don't care (or know) about real sound quality these days. Why else are they drawn to MP3 players? Its all about convenience. Sound quality is a distant afterthought.
 
NutBucket said:
Fine, on a crappy car stereo.

There's a reason sales of hi-fi equipment have dropped like a rock over the last 20 years....and its not because people are poor. Most people just don't care (or know) about real sound quality these days. Why else are they drawn to MP3 players? Its all about convenience. Sound quality is a distant afterthought.
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This man speaketh the truth. "A whole album of MP3's for $10 bucks? Sign me up!!" *chucks CD in the trash and buys MP3s*

ugghhhh
 
Zune.

Most of the music, though not all, can be bought in MP3, DRM-Free format.

I have Zune Pass, $15/month for unlimited DRMed downloads. Included in that cost is 10 song downloads every month, so really for $15/month you are buying 10 tracks and get access to an unlimited amount of drm'd material for $5 more.

It appears the bitrate varies based on release. Looking at some of the songs I've gotten with those credits, some are 320kbps, some are 256kbps.
 
bobdole369 said:
This statement is bullshit.
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Most people under the age of 25 is probably more accurate. And if not $5 earbuds, they're listening on $5 speakers. Like those cheap little boombox things you plug your iPod into or the crappy speakers that come with prebuilt PCs.
 
frostedflakes said:
Most people under the age of 25 is probably more accurate. And if not $5 earbuds, they're listening on $5 speakers. Like those cheap little boombox things you plug your iPod into or the crappy speakers that come with prebuilt PCs.
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As a 22yo, you have no idea how much I cringe when I am put into a situation where I have to deal with bad audio equipment, or very low-quality video equipment.

I'd much rather listen and watch "meh" quality stuff on equipment that can reveal all the flaws, than consume that media on equipment that can't even reveal all the things any piece of data gets right.
 
I say get the CD's used off Amazon and rip to FLAC yourself. Foobar2000 has an ABX comparator tool that plays back a series of samples at various bitrates, and its a pretty good demonstration of how unlikely it really is that you "can tell a slight difference" between 256 and 320.
 
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