Yesterday I won a free iTunes song from a Pepsi bottle. Exciting, I thought. So I went to my computer, installed iTunes, and redeemed my code. In the process I got another 5 free songs since I signed up with my paypal account. So far, so good.
I grabbed a couple songs, and downloaded away. The plan was to move them over to my Muvo TX mp3 player. But – no can do. I didn’t realize this before, but apparently without an iPod there’s no way to take iTunes songs portable.
Or maybe I’m just not finding the right option? For now though this seems like a boneheaded decision by Apple. Probably not a new situation, but this is the first I’ve tried it. I can convert the files to mp3s, but only by burning and then re-ripping the songs – sound quality is lost in the process. I should be able to do what I want with music I have legally bought.
I’ve been buying music from Napster for a while now and can move them over to my player no problem. So there my money will continue to go.
Side rant: On both Napster and iTunes, I’ve noticed something troubling. A number of tracks are now available “Album Only”, meaning they cannot be bought as a single song. You have to shell out prices inflated to more than the normal $.99/song for the whole album. One of the big plusses for buying music like this for me has been the ability to pick and choose. Is this to be taken away? I hope “Album Only” does not catch on.