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KäneKïHö`alu
Akahai
64 Posts |
 Posted - 02/20/2008 : 7:08:00 PM
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Aloha kākou,
I just recently discovered a jewel in online music - emusic.com! While they don't have songs from big name record companies like Sony, Capitol, etc., they have lots from smaller companies, and lots of Hawaiian music! Click on this link to see some of the Hawaiian stuff they have. http://www.emusic.com/browse/0/b/-dbm/a/0-0/1200000392/0.html Nā Leo, Mākaha Sons, Sonny Chillingworth, Dennis Pavao, Teresa Bright, ʻĀleʻa, IZ, and more. It's only about 33¢ a song with the cheapest $9.99/month plan. Click here http://www.emusic.com/promo/brand.html?fref=150132 to get a 14-day free trial with 50 free downloads which you can keep even if you cancel. I know it sounds too good to be true but I researched it online at several sites and it is completely legal. Just thought I'd let everyone know about this inexpensive way to get some great Hawaiian music!!!
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E mālama pono a e hoʻomaha ma ka maluhia o ke Akua,
Matt |
Edited by - KäneKïHö`alu on 02/20/2008 7:11:21 PM |
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nahenahe
Aloha
USA
21 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2008 : 4:02:39 PM
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Aloha, KaneKiHo`alu,
EMusic is currently the second largest seller of digital tracks after iTunes. Its price per track is as low as $0.33 precisely because it offers music from only independent music labels (i.e., not the Big Four), and those indies don't charge as much for their catalogs.
An added bonus is that, unlike iTunes-purchased tracks, all of eMusic's downloads are in the MP3 format, unprotected by DRM (digital rights management). This means they'll play on any MP3 player. Tracks purchased from iTunes will play on only iPods.
All of this being said, I manage the Hawaiian music catalog for Rhapsody (www.Rhapsody.com), the largest music subscription service, and I'm confident we have the largest digital Hawaiian music catalog, including the coveted Panini Records catalog (home to some of Gabby and the Peter Moon Band's classic albums). 
Mahalo,
Tim Dang |
Tim Dang
Sunnyvale, CA |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2008 : 4:17:58 PM
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Which brings up a subject, as I have not downloaded commercial music to date as I prefer the higher quality obtained on CDs.
How does a person find out the file bitrate (In advance of payment) for these sites?
Everyone who bothers with MP3 (or compressed video as well) should know that higher bitrate = higher quality. These sites don't seem to post a list of choices before I am asked to pay. Anything less than 256Kbps is unacceptable for me (at any price).
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 02/21/2008 4:18:54 PM |
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`Ilio Nui
`Olu`olu
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2008 : 5:56:27 PM
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Lawrence,
I don't know why you are so jaded. Most people who have never heard real fidelity are willing to spend .33 or .99 cents for low MP3 cr*p. That's why I have spent thousands of dollars to record 24 bit soundfiles, reduce them further for 16 bit CDs, then turn them into MP3 files with no sonic resolution what-so-ever. Of course, when you jam an earplug next to you eardrum. I guess they don't sound so bad. Yeah, right!!!!!!!!! Of course, if you want to learn a song, it's not a bad way to go. I've bought a couple for that reason.
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KäneKïHö`alu
Akahai
64 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2008 : 9:27:23 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by nahenahe
Aloha, KaneKiHo`alu,
EMusic is currently the second largest seller of digital tracks after iTunes. Its price per track is as low as $0.33 precisely because it offers music from only independent music labels (i.e., not the Big Four), and those indies don't charge as much for their catalogs.
An added bonus is that, unlike iTunes-purchased tracks, all of eMusic's downloads are in the MP3 format, unprotected by DRM (digital rights management). This means they'll play on any MP3 player. Tracks purchased from iTunes will play on only iPods.
All of this being said, I manage the Hawaiian music catalog for Rhapsody (www.Rhapsody.com), the largest music subscription service, and I'm confident we have the largest digital Hawaiian music catalog, including the coveted Panini Records catalog (home to some of Gabby and the Peter Moon Band's classic albums).
Mahalo,
Tim Dang
Thanks, Tim. I'll have to look into Rhapsody - sounds great! |
E mālama pono a e hoʻomaha ma ka maluhia o ke Akua,
Matt |
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nahenahe
Aloha
USA
21 Posts |
Posted - 02/22/2008 : 12:37:11 PM
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Lawrence and `Ilio Nui,
With respect to codecs, bitrates and sound quality, there was a good article from the New York Times last year on this ("Where's the Other Half of Your Music File?"):
http://tinyurl.com/33dug6
You guys probably have sharp ears, but above a certain bitrate, it becomes increasingly difficult for many listeners to tell the difference ("As bitrates climbed above 128 kbps, however, our guesses became increasingly haphazard; none of us could determine the difference between 320 kbps and lossless"). You can listen to 64-, 128- and 256 Kbps samples in the article to test your own ears. (64 Kbps clearly sounds inferior to me).
Here are the current bitrates used by the services:
- Rhapsody, 192 Kbps for RAX/AAC or MP3 (upgrading to 256 Kbps soon)
- iTunes, 128 Kbps for AAC, 256 Kbps for MP3
- eMusic, 192 Kbps for MP3
Tim |
Tim Dang
Sunnyvale, CA |
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