Why Amazon Has Convinced Me to Never Buy Music From iTunes Again

By David Walker | February 12th, 2008

I have to admit, I’m a bit of an Apple fanboy. I’ve owned three different Macs, currently have 4 iPods in or around the house, use the Airport Extreme Router and my wife and I both own iPhones (both an 8 and 16GB). I plan on buying the AppleTV shortly and intend on purchasing my 4th Mac – either a Mac Pro or Macbook Pro – within the next few months. I even stood in-line for the Leopard launch. Why share all of that? Because, without a doubt, I will catch flack for what I’m about to say and will probably be called an Apple-hater, which I am not. But the truth is, after this weekend, I don’t think I’ll ever buy another song from iTunes again. And it’s all because of Amazon.

To be clear, I normally purchase CDs and rip them myself. On average, I probably buy 7 or 8 CDs for every album I purchase online. But, whenever I have bought online music, I’ve always done it from the comfort of the iTunes interface. Having owned several iPods, I was very comfortable with the knowledge that the music I wanted could be found and purchased easily. Certainly, the fact that the music was DRM-laced was a negative for me, but it was never a big enough one so as to deter me. But, if the choice was there, I’d certainly go DRM-free if given the option.

Well, this weekend marked a first for me. I heard some old songs that I really enjoyed and went looking for the original CDs. As is usually the case, I couldn’t find these titles in any brick and mortar store. So, I immediately jumped into iTunes and found them. However, before I hit purchase, it dawned on me – I wonder if Amazon also has these albums and I wonder how much they are? Quickly, I launched my browser and within a minute, found both albums on Amazon. Even better? The albums cost less than what I had almost paid on the iTunes Music Store. Before I knew it, I had clicked on Buy Now and had begun my separation from IMS.

So why switch? Why make the change and abandon the store of one of the companies I frequent the most? Here’s why:

1. DRM-free MP3s – Though it never bothered me before, the thought of being locked down into a single ecosystem forever finally hit me. I’ve never been a fan of DRM, but where Apple was concerned, I turned a blind eye. Maybe it’s the fact that DRM-free MP3s haven’t been available until recently. Maybe it’s the fact that alternate players are starting to look competitive. Whatever it was, a shift happened in my outlook that demanded that I no longer support any DRM, even if it is from a company I admire and respect. And until Apple can convince the major labels to do for them what they did for Amazon, I just don’t know if I can be a party to the DRM-machine that iTunes currently is.
2. High Bit-Rate Files – Imagine my surprise when the files I downloaded were encoded in an even higher bit-rate than I normally encode at. Typically, I use 192kbps when ripping CDs. I’ve never been able to tell much of a difference going above the 192kbps, so I’ve opted to save space in exchange for non-perceived audio fidelity. Downloads are different, though. I’d like to be able to burn a CD from these files that sounds very close to the actual store-bought CD. At an average of 256kbps (VBR), the files from Amazon should make for a near identical copy of the original CD. Color me impressed.
3. Variable Pricing – Of all the things Apple has fought the studios over, this is the one that is a true double-edged sword. Sure, everyone defends this policy because it keeps studios from pricing new or popular releases at a higher price point. But what about the opposite scenario like the one I encountered? The demand for the albums I was looking for had dropped considerably, with both of them being at least a few years old. Why can’t the market – supply and demand – determine what those albums are worth? Sure, I would have paid $9.99 for each of them, but in reality, they’re not worth as much as a new release or a mainstream title. Even though I only saved about $1.50, the $8.49 price was more in-line with what should have reasonably been charged for these back-catalog titles.
4. Great Downloader with Automatic iTunes Import – When I made the decision to buy from Amazon, I had already accepted the fact that I’d have to download the files, rearrange the folders and import them into iTunes. Thankfully, Amazon had already thought through that process and produced a small tool for Mac that downloaded my files for me and automatically imported them into iTunes with Album Art. It was as good an interface as can be expected without being directly integrated into iTunes.

Though my love for Apple products has not wavered, my contempt for DRM has grown. Knowing that the MP3s I purchased can be put onto any player I choose and burned to as many CDs as I like is not something I’m willing to compromise on anymore. Until Apple can find a way to compete with Amazon on these points, I’ll never buy music from iTunes again.