The most widespread and popular digital music program, the iTunes Store contains a wide ranging catalog of genres. Music is sold either by the song or by the album. Each song costs 99 cents and albums cost an average of $10. Besides the music itself, iTunes also sells digital booklets that emulate the paper booklet you would receive with a physical album. Select albums also come with multimedia programming that has additional artwork and videos that become accessible after purchase. iTunes is also the only program that is readily compatible with Apple products like the iPod, iPhone and iPod Touch.
Rhapsody offers a subscription rather than a typical media download service. For a monthly fee ($10-$14 a month), you are allowed to download, store and listen to as much music as you like. The file format cannot be copied onto certain players and will not function if your subscription runs out. This service proves beneficial if you like exploring new kinds of music without owning it permanently.
CD Baby offers a wide range of music focusing mainly on groups that are unsigned or are not yet mainstream. Set up as a store format, CD Baby allows any artist to sign up for its service and bring it directly to you via the web. Artists in turn decide the pricing for their songs and albums. This creates a wide range of prices for a buyer. CD Baby proves advantageous for those who enjoy finding something on the fringe, but not necessarily the classics. Music is sold either by song or by album.
Amazon.com has long held a respectful place in media sales and now offers music instantly through MP3 files. Like iTunes, music can be purchased by the song at 99 cents or as an album for $10, but Amazon still has frequent sales and bargain-priced albums (many go for $5 or less). These MP3s can be used on any device compatible with that digital format.