toggle

AAPL Stock: 428.39 ( -3.38 )

MacNN News

http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/09/20/msn.music.vs..itunes/

MSN Music is better online music destination

updated 02:40 pm EDT, Mon September 20, 2004

MSN Music vs. iTunes

Although Fortune says that --at least "not yet"--the expects Microsoft to "take a bite out of Apple's 70% market share," highlighting MSN Music's sound quality (160Kbps VBR WMA format), generous DRM, more device compatibility, and a better online music destination: "Microsoft has done a better job than Apple of creating a music resource center, with album reviews, artists' biographies and discographies, photos, news, links to tour schedules and tickets, song lyrics, and music videos."

by MacNN Staff

Post tools:

TAGS :

Apple

toggle

Comments

scotty321
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 1999

0

09/20, 02:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
Agreed.

Agreed. Apple has done the BARE MINIMUM in creating a music store. No user reviews, no links to outside websites, no tour dates, no website to access all of this stuff from, none of the features that we have come to expect for years from companies like Amazon.com. Microsoft really has "one-upped" Apple here, and I'd hate to see Apple lose its ground because of its big head again. Apple, keep innovating! It's not over yet!

darkpill
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2004

0

09/20, 03:06pm | report spam | close Reply |
no way

That was a good laugh ... I don't know how long it will take them to get the fact that you CAN'T have a browser based music store. No way in h***. MSN is light years behind still.

Obviously, I'm wrong because of all the huge sales numbers Microsoft has posted from their store.

JeffHarris
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 1999

0

09/20, 03:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
Apple, Watch out!!!

Apple should probably offer music with higher sampling rates. Whether I agree with scotty321 about the iTunes Store. I MIGHT use it if tunes were a little easier to find and the sampling rates were higher.

Whether or not AAC sounds better than WMA, at whatever sampling rates, the point is that the PC drones who swallowed the megahertz myth see numbers before considering aesthetics or user experience. It's the same mentality. Good enough works for the majority.

BTW, AACs sampled at 192 DO sound better than ones at 128.

At this point, Apple might want to partner up with somebody. There's no way Apple can hold off Microsoft for very long. Forget about "winning".

koolkid1976
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: May 2003

0

09/20, 03:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: no way

Speaking of numbers? Where are Microsoft's first week numbers? Are they embarassed and hiding it like buymusic.com?

trevc
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2000

0

09/20, 03:13pm | report spam | close Reply |
Much more room...

... for inovation from Apple. Microsoft seems to be making it more of a resource for all music related information which I think people will like a bit more.

tabarnak
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2003

0

09/20, 03:21pm | report spam | close Reply |
generous DRM??

wtf is that!! there's no such thing as this!!

but for the first week numbers comment, it doesn't matter, they will sell much much more than apple in a few months.

John Dwight
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 1999

0

09/20, 03:32pm | report spam | close Reply |
Wait for it

As long as we're filling out a wish list for iTMS, I would like higher sampling rates; it's a broadband medium anyway, so why not offer it. A way to access lyrics and personnel would be nice as well.

I'm sure Apple will come up with something cool. I don't expect a Spindler- like digging-in-of-heels from Steve; welcome back to work, BTW.

Deal
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Apr 2001

0

09/20, 03:37pm | report spam | close Reply |
Just like MS

Take something somebody else has already done and complicate it with a bunch of unnecessary features you can get elsewhere.

I don't trust other people opinions on music any more than the video clerk at the rental place.

If I want ticket info, I go to ticketmaster. If I want info on a band, I go to their web site.

I hope they get it so complicated, new users won't know what button to push when they get there!

PookJP
Mac Enthusiast

Joined: Jan 2001

0

09/20, 03:48pm | report spam | close Reply |
Apple Needs to Step It Up

I'm obviously loyal to Apple (I'm on this site, aren't I?), but they really need to pick up the sample rate, have more reviews, and tour/ticket information. These are basic things people expect in the highly integrated cyber universe.

ericdano
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2002

0

09/20, 03:52pm | report spam | close Reply |
Better DRM?

Is it really better? Last I read, it didn't seem so.....

greenamp
Mac Elite

Joined: Jun 2004

0

09/20, 03:53pm | report spam | close Reply |
meh

I don't understand the mentality that says the more c*** you can cram into something the better it is.

I like iTunes b/c it has very few frills; I open it to look at and buy music, nothing more.

My only wish would be for a way to download the album art, say in PDF format.

Horsepoo!!!
Banned

Joined: Jun 2003

0

09/20, 03:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
greenamp,

This has always been the Microsoft way of doing things...you know this. They'll cram every feature under the sun into a program, it doesn't mean it won't get ugly though.

More features does not automatically equal better.

If it's not well implemented, these features are useless.

macbarry
Junior Member

Joined: Aug 2002

0

09/20, 03:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
Yes on album art

and liner notes as well which i can read on.... my iPod!

Faizon318
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2004

0

09/20, 04:04pm | report spam | close Reply |
AUTHORIZE THIS !

I don't understand the mentality that says the more c*** you can cram into something the better it is

Ok .. and thats why u like apple and 95% of the world does not .. People want more .. spend 5 mins watching commercials on TV..

Im a mac fan .. but this is what makes me one .. I dont care to have my itunes full of junk ..

on another note .. im going bonkers over the 5 authorized macs that can play my music that I no longer have access to and apple wont deathorize them so I can buy music ..

slider
Mac Elite

Joined: Oct 1999

0

09/20, 04:05pm | report spam | close Reply |
Competition is good

Hey, M$ had the benefit of watching what everyone else before them did and was able to make inquiries about them. Competition is good and I know Apple will compete, but we benefit in the end.

msconvert
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: May 2002

0

09/20, 04:28pm | report spam | close Reply |
DRM better?

I think the guy is confusing DRM with device compatiblity. Last I checked people are buying the iPod is because they want all their music they already have with them 24/7 and not because they buy music online. Obviously, this will change over time, but iTMS makes all other music shops irrelivant for now.

Wutzo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2002

0

09/20, 05:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
Audiobooks

The Audiobooks at iTMS are of very bad quality. I wish they would be 128kBit AAC.

BTW: Books: Anyone seen www.amascore.com?

outZider
Junior Member

Joined: Sep 1999

0

09/20, 05:45pm | report spam | close Reply |
no deauthorize?

Stop switching computers all the time. Apple knows they aren't yours. ;) I switched one box out of my 5 authorized machines, and Apple deauthorized the old one for me in about 48 hours.

crawlingparanoia
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

09/20, 06:22pm | report spam | close Reply |
Oh come on...

He forgot that iTMS also has music videos, biographies, and discographies. And iMixes. And Billboard charts. And radio charts. And celebrity playlists. And a great browse feature. And movie trailers. And audiobooks.

Cf
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2002

0

09/20, 09:06pm | report spam | close Reply |
on higher bitrates

I do think it should be an option to buy, but 128 AAC should stay the default (Not everyone can afford broadband and not everyone lives where it is available). That being said, I think more explaining needs to be done about how AAC quality compares to MP3 quality. One final question, is the ITMS using VBR encoding or not?

trevc
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2000

0

09/20, 09:48pm | report spam | close Reply |
Is there some benchmark?

Is there some benchmark that shows the quality of a music file compared to the original, or some other benchmark?

I'm sure the audiophiles will say one format is better than the other and instead of relying on one ear versus another, it'd be a simple 'score' that can't be disputed.

Am I off base?

ApeInTheShell
Senior User

Joined: Nov 2002

0

09/20, 10:03pm | report spam | close Reply |
MS

Stick with a product you can trust. Microsoft has not shown me a reason to use their Windows Media Player or their new MSN Music service.

MPMoriarty
Dedicated MacNNer

Joined: Oct 2003

0

09/20, 11:52pm | report spam | close Reply |
iTMS isn't going anywher

I don't know about you, but I love the iTMS. Everything is so easy to use and makes buying music fun. I am buying music from bands that I would have never bought before or even knew about thanks to iTMS.

Sure there are some features that would improve it...

- free radio station (maybe just top ten songs or something) that you can tune into so you can preview the full song and not just 30 secs.

- Better implementation of iMixes. I swear every time I submit one, I never can find mine.

- Maybe a trial purchase where you can listen before you buy. If you don't want it, it disappears or something after a time period. If Music Match can do it why can't iTMS.

- Higher bitrate is last on my list. I see increasing the bitrate from 128k to something like 192k would improve sound, but it is a niche thing in my mind.

The reason I buy music from iTMS instead of going to the store and buying CD's is because I'm lazy. I rather just hop on my iBook, open iTunes, buy songs from my living room, and then have them instantly delivered to my laptop in seconds. This is who I think iTMS appeals to. People who like to shop from home and receive instant gratification.

Just my two cents

LouZer
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2000

0

09/21, 12:29am | report spam | close Reply |
DRM

From what I read on-line elsewhere, MS's DRM is (1) You can play the music on 5 computers, and (b) you can burn a playlist 7 times. Man, if only iTunes let you do this...

I'm not sure what Music Reviews is supposed to do. I've read them on Amazon, and they usually span either extreme of "This is great" and "These guys blow". And since music is such a personal decision, one person's cream is another's c***. Plus most people would just look at the average star rating and go from there.

JEB
Junior Member

Joined: May 2001

0

09/21, 12:38am | report spam | close Reply |
re: Just like MS

"I hope they get it so complicated, new users won't know what button to push when they get there!"

Whoa there, MS complicating users with too many buttons, who ever heard of that!?! (no wonder so many people don't like computers!)

Show More Comments

Login Here

toggle

Network Headlines

06/19	Apple TV 5.3 update adds HBO Go, Sky...
06/19	Schematics allegedly show dimensions...
06/19	LinkedIn integration could be coming...
06/19	A closer look: iOS 7 Siri and iOS in...
06/18	Steve Jobs video from 1994 unearthed...

Show All

06/19	Apple TV 5.3 update adds HBO Go, Sky...
06/19	Dish gives up on Sprint merger attempt...
06/19	Schematics allegedly show dimensions...
06/19	LinkedIn integration could be coming...
06/19	A closer look: iOS 7 Siri and iOS in...

Show All

toggle

MSN Music is better online music destination

updated 02:40 pm EDT, Mon September 20, 2004

MSN Music vs. iTunes

Agreed.

no way

Apple, Watch out!!!

re: no way

Much more room...

generous DRM??

Wait for it

Just like MS

Apple Needs to Step It Up

Better DRM?

meh

greenamp,

Yes on album art

AUTHORIZE THIS !

Competition is good

DRM better?

Audiobooks

no deauthorize?

Oh come on...

on higher bitrates

Is there some benchmark?

MS

iTMS isn't going anywher

DRM

re: Just like MS

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

to our RSS

Follow us

on Twitter

Most Read

10 Most Discussed

MacNN Marketplace

MSN Music is better online music destination

updated 02:40 pm EDT, Mon September 20, 2004

MSN Music vs. iTunes

Related Articles

Recent Articles

Agreed.

no way

Apple, Watch out!!!

re: no way

Much more room...

generous DRM??

Wait for it

Just like MS

Apple Needs to Step It Up

Better DRM?

meh

greenamp,

Yes on album art

AUTHORIZE THIS !

Competition is good

DRM better?

Audiobooks

no deauthorize?

Oh come on...

on higher bitrates

Is there some benchmark?

MS

iTMS isn't going anywher

DRM

re: Just like MS

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

to our RSS

Follow us

on Twitter

Most Read

10 Most Discussed

MacNN Marketplace