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Wal-Mart's music downloads March 22, 2004
In response to my discussion of iTunes and my new iPod, Christine mentioned that WalMart.com sells downloadable music for 88 cents per song. That sounded about 11 cents better than iTune's 99 cents per song, so I checked it out.
Unfortunately they've decided to cripple the service by only allowing you to download in WMA format and putting horrendous limits on how you can use the music you buy. To quote from their FAQ:
What file format do Music Downloads come in?So, for your money you get a song that they will only promise you can play on your computer and only using one (dreadfully clunky) media player. Hmmm.. Pass.
Music Downloads from Walmart.com are 128-bit WMA files. The WMA format allows record companies to protect their music by using Digital Rights Management (DRM) encryption. This means that music downloads are legal, safe, and easy to use. The 128-bit WMA files also offer superior sound quality.
Will media players other than the Windows Media Player 9 play, burn and transfer WMA files?
Please consult the documentation that accompanies your non-Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 player to see if it supports music files encrypted by DRM. Although other media players may be able to play music you download from Walmart.com, we only verify that the music you download from Walmart.com will play using Microsoft's Windows Media Player 9 (or higher).
Can I transfer the music I download to a portable player?
Yes, you can as long as the player is able to play WMA files (note: iPods currently DO NOT play WMA files).
Does anyone really expect this kind of thing to present a viable option to "free"? Are people really buying this stuff?
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Posted by Christine on March 23, 2004 6:01 AM:
I read on there that you can also burn CDs, but I haven't tried it yet.