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When it comes to transmitting music, convenience is often the king. That is why most people are satisfied with listening to music through online platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. However, music transmission comes with its limitations. On the one hand, it does not really have any of the music that I hear, which means that it can be removed in a second if the holder of the license wants. If you are someone who wants more freedom when it comes to music and that you really have the music you love, we suggest you go one step further and cancel your subscription to these transmission platforms and do something different. You can buy physical copies of your music or through a digital music store.
Now, you can be confused about why we mention a digital music store. First, buy digital music, such as MP3 or FLAC files, have more benefits than you think. Once you buy these files, they can be stored on any device, which means it is yours to keep forever. Digital music stores also offer instant downloads after their purchase, there is often an option between different formats, such as MP3 or AAC to save space and money. But if space limitations are not a concern, most sites also offer Flac or Alac versions without loss for a remarkable increase in quality. (Usually, cost the same as MP3). Of course, if you prefer physical means and do not care about storage, you can buy CD and tear the old music.
Regardless of whether you want to store a single album or a variety of music along the ages, we have gathered the best digital music stores. Some of these names that will recognize, such as iTunes and Amazon, but there are also some of our personal favorites that do not obtain the love we believe they deserve, such as Bandcamp and Qobuz. It doesn’t matter which one chooses, many of these stores offer applications for Android and iOS, which allows you to easily listen to the music you buy. You can also use music applications that are pre -installed on your phone.
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Average cost per album: $ 10
Maximum bit rate: 256KBPS (AAC)
Itunes may no longer be the Apple alignment star, since Apple Music is the company’s approach at this time, but it is still one of the largest digital markets. iTunes still set the standard for music downloads with loss, and its catalog must provide all the darkest needs. Technically, iTunes does not sell MP3. Instead, sell songs in its own AAC format, which can be read by almost all modern players.
If you use macOS Catalina or Superior, you can access the market from Music> iTunes store. If you want to download files without loss, keep in mind that you will need a musical membership, but you will not be able to keep the music if your subscription ends.
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Average cost per album: $ 10
Maximum bit rate: 320 Kbps, without losses (up to 24 kHz)
With the support of many independent music labels, Bandcamp (now part of Epic Games) is perhaps the best alternative to iTunes or Amazon, particularly if their tastes run towards the most esoteric. The site allows you to download in the format you want (MP3, Flac, Apple the loss) and apparently as many times as you want, without paying more. In addition, the site runs regularly Bandcamp Friday events, which give 100% of the income to the artist.
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Average cost per album: $ 10
Maximum bit rate: 256kbps
If you are a member of Amazon Prime, Amazon Music makes a lot of sense. You get a (limited) Transmission service and a music store to buy MP3, in addition to transmission and automatic scratch of physical disks you buy. The Digital Music Page It is quite monotonous, only a lot of buttons instead of the cover, and includes outstanding links to Amazon Music Unlimited Streaming.
Keep in mind that, although Amazon reviewed its “Digital Locker” service that stores its MP3, the MP3 you buy from Amazon will remain available to transmit and download.
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Average cost per album: $ 10 (CD quality), $ 15 (24 bits)
Maximum bit rate: Without losses (up to 24/192)
If you are only interested in high quality discharges, and with this, I specifically mean 24-bit hi-flies, the Qobuz download store is the cheapest. Like the Qobuz music transmission service, it attends to a wide variety of musical genres, from pop to jazz, metal and whatever you can think of. The site also offers sales in new releases, including a recent promotion of Metallica. If you are an Ultra Keen audiophile, you can register for the sublime transmission package of $ 180 per year, which also gives you discounts of up to 60% in high -resolution downloads.
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Average cost per album: $ 10
Maximum bit rate: 320 Kbps, without losses (up to 24 kHz)
If your tastes run to dance music with a hint of indie, then you will find a lot what to love Issue whistles. The site also has a good 16 and 24 -bit FLAC selection that are not subject to the price increases of some competitive suppliers.
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Previously, I recommended 7Digital Due to its wide selection of MP3 (and also FLAC files), but the site has not been updated for some time. While the company has been acquired by Songtradr music licenses firmThe cover of the store has not changed in three years and a search for new releases (Bad Bunny, Lizzo, Gorillaz, etc.) appears empty. It has not yet seen what the acquisition will bring, since 7Digital once was a great resource for both musical discovery and cheaper downloads. 7Digital representatives did not respond to my request for more information.
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Despite the increase in transmission, millions of MP3 are still available for sale and the number of tracks is growing all the time. All stores listed here allow you to download a computer or directly to your phone, and most offer dedicated applications for Android. Keep in mind that, due to Apple restrictions, iOS users may not buy music from different sources on their phones.
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Google Play Music stopped selling MP3 at the end of 2020 when the company moved to YouTube music of Solo Transmission. All previous services offer an excellent alternative to Google Play Music, and some such as Bandcamp offer higher quality losses for the same price. A feature that YouTube music led from Google Play Music is the music locker, which allows you to load your own music library.
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MP3 is known as a “loss” format because it eliminates audio information to reduce file sizes, even at the maximum rate of 320 Kbps. In comparison, FLAC is a “without losses” format because it does not eliminate the information and instead compresses the music in a similar way to a ZIP file. As a result, a FLAC sounds better than an MP3, especially one that has been torn at a low 128 kbps bit rate.
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