Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches 687
nns6561 writes "Wal-Mart launched their music download service today. They are providing wma files for 88 cents. I was able to download and play the test file with MPlayer and Linux. Finally, a music service for us geeks." While it may be only another online music seller, I'd hazard a guess that Wal-Mart has the name recognition to be the most prevalent music download service, especially among the tech-unsavvy.
Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:5, Insightful)
From their usage agreement:
You may download music to a single computer. You may then transfer music files and backup license files to up to two (2) additional personal computers. You may play music an unlimited number of times on up to three (3) personal computers. You shall be entitled to 1) burn Products solely for personal, non-commercial use up to ten (10) times and 2) export Products solely to a portable device capable of playing Windows Media (TM) Audio ("WMA") files such as a WMA-compliant MP3 player an unlimited number of times. WALMART.COM is a reseller to you and does not accept orders from music dealers, exporters, wholesalers, any businesses of any kind or other customers who intend to resell.
Emphasis mine.Still, I won't pay for any music until I can burn it to CD in MP3 or Ogg format. My car has an MP3 player and changing CDs every hour or so has become as objectionable to me as following the speed limit.
As for the submitter's claim that wal-mart might be able to make this the "most prevalent online music service," whatever happened to the ISP that wal-mart tried to float? I rest my case.
Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:4, Interesting)
Do laptops count?
Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:3, Informative)
I read it that way because of how the term unlimited is used in reference to the three pers
Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:2)
If there's DRM, and MPlayer can support it, yay for MPlayer. If it's been cracked, that's a testament to the weakness inherent in DRM. If there's no DRM, are we one step closer to the ideal of cheap unencumbered Vorbis or MP3 files? I sure hope so.
I downloaded the sample . . . (Score:2)
I dunno . . . PAYING to download music . . . it seems so alien to me.
Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:3, Informative)
Contradiction? (Score:5, Interesting)
Their FAQ [walmart.com] says:
That would seem to imply that your tunes are limited to one PC only - unless they're referring to casual sharing.Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:3, Informative)
The seceratary at my office just signed up for it, and likes it. I'm pretty sure it's just "skinned" AOL, from the sounds of it. Anyway, they're still pushing the CDs at the local WalMart, so I think it must be doing alright...
Re:Less Restrictive Than Some (Score:3, Interesting)
If this is the case, this music service is going to be useless for a lot of music.
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart (Score:4, Interesting)
Has a chapter where she works at Wal-Mart undercover for the book. Very interesting.
um hold up a bit I work there... (Score:5, Interesting)
2 yes...
3 yes...
4 yes..
5 * actually between illeagal aliens cleaning the freaken floors and 4 count them 4 women bitching about being screwed over from working there...the only media coverage I hear about wal-mart is considerably more than any other retailer and it's all bad
* Congress having no power over Wal-Mart? Are you sure? You're reading that wrong anyway...it's Congress that doesn't care to have power over Wal-mart because they are paid to not care.
* not sure about that last bit
1 You really screwed up on #1...
** "Full-Time" (actually 28 hours/week) employees only gross $11,000 a year,
on average.
* Actually at the Wal-Mart I work at everyone gets full 40 hours a week. The only time they cut back are the months Jan-March the slowest months of the year. There are a lot of older people working at wally world that have been with the company a while. 10 years ~= 15/h stocking shelves. Not that I plan on being here more than a few more months though
** Health benefits are available only after two years, but premiums are so high only 38% of employees can afford it.
* Where the hell are you getting your info from? NO! From the day you start you can get a third party health insurance. After 6 months you are qualified for health insurance...38%? Did you pull that out of your ass? It costs me 35 bucks a pay check and 3 bucks for dental...who can't afford that?
** Even discussing working conditions or unionization will result in retaliation and firing.
* I can tell you've never worked there before. No actually working conditions are talked about all the time. In fact me along with 14 other people at the Wal-Mart I'm working at all got $1 raises because we used something called the open door policy stating that other places would be paying us the same amount...it took a while but we got the raise. We talk about unions all the time...but most people agree that paying money for some union is a joke at the rate we get paid. Who will pay the bills if we HAVE to go on strike? And who needs more money taken out of their small pay check for it?
** There is "a harsh, anti-woman culture in which complaints go unanswered and the women who make them are targeted for retaliation." (Quote taken from a national class-action suit against Wal-Mart.)
* I have 2 store managers that are women and about 7 other women above me in the chain of command. Your quote is from 4 women out of how many that work at Wal-Mart? How many of the Waltons (you know the owners of Wal-Mart...there are 5 of them) are women? `
Yes Wal-Mart damages the local community and exploits labor in third world countries. However, I really doubt half the stuff you hear in the NEWS/MEDIA is in any way acurate about the realities of working there. It's a sucky job...yes. It pays crap yes. And I'm sure it will not be here more than another decade given how many people like you seam to hate it with such a passion. But despite everything that is bad about it...nah you know what there's nothing I can say good about the place...I just wanted to correct the mis-stated facts you made.
Take it from someone that works there...Wal-Mart is EVIL!!!! But it's no different from the thousands of other retailers...Cosco? K-Mart? and the job is a McJob...but what do you expect? We have to work somewhere. I suppose if places like Wal-Mart where outlawed (which they would have to be in order to prevent another one from doing the same thing) the only places left would be small mall stores...I doubt they would pay much better...it would still be another McJob.
Oh...by the way. I'm one of those CS majors from college that was a Junior before he had to take a job at Wal-Mart stocking shelves because everyone hiring required 5+ years experience.
Re:um hold up a bit I work there... (Score:3, Informative)
Wal-Mart meat cutters in one store contemplated joining a union. One actually signed a union card. Days later, every meat cutter in that store was laid off, and one week later Wal-Mart announced it would be going to pre-packaged (and pre-cut) meats in all of its stores.
Re:um hold up a bit I work there... (Score:3, Informative)
For the record, Costco IS unionized AND they PAY MORE than Sams Club and Wal-Mart.
Your comment about the "why bother" with paying union dues at such a meager salary is the very reason why retailers like Wal-Mart can get away with abusing their employees. Sheesh, here in NorCal, we have supermarket cashieres (sic) making
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart (Score:3, Interesting)
#3 is void because the contracts between Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart suppliers are engaged voluntarily.
#4 is void because it is a matter of personal opinion. Quite obviously, the millions of people who shop at Wal-Mart don't agree with you.
#5 is vague. Please elaborate.
Another reason they are not accountable (Score:3, Informative)
TOP TEN
1. Bill Gates
2. Warren Buffett
3. Paul Allen
4. Helen Walton
5. S. Robson Walton
6. John Walton
7. Jim Walton
8. Alice Walton
9. Larry Ellison
10. Michael Dell
If you watch that train-wreck of a show "The Simple Life", Paris Hilton had no idea what Wal-Mart was. I found that quite interesting, because any one o
don't shop walmart...don't shop anywhere.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart - idiocy (Score:3, Insightful)
Captitalism has its flaws definitely, but if you want to talk about FORCING people to do things, then you're talking about Socialism.
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart - idiocy (Score:4, Interesting)
Sure they've been found guilty of all kinds of violations and fined several times but no fine, no sanction (to date) has been severe enough to make them notice, let alone think twice. The fact is that Walmart is well on it's way to becoming the poster child for the crusade against monocultures. Microsoft has nothing on Walmart.
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart - idiocy (Score:3, Insightful)
No because that's contrary to liberalism. If you are liberal you can't accept that because your justification can be used for anything. If anything, you can even justify slavery by your reasoning.
Of course, to a capitalist, slavery is perfectly ok. In fact, capitalists were the ones who were against the abolishment of slavery.
Like all capitali
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart - idiocy (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually, freedom matters a whole lot more to me than money. I'd like to see people have the options to take whatever jobs best suit their abilities and opporunities. In some cases that's well-paid executive. In some cases that's poorly paid gas station attendant. In some cases thats well-paid high-profile prostitute. In other's, it's a poorly paid street hooker.
I don't want to take any choi
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart - idiocy (Score:3, Funny)
And how is this is any different from working at any grocery store, Target, Sears, gas station, or toll both, ticket counter, convienence store etc?
Does Walmart buy special non ergonomic keyboards for the registers (moot point anyway as everything is scanned), and special granite floor pads to stand on that cause these problems?
What do other retailers in the US pay for wages and is it really any diffe
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart - idiocy (Score:4, Insightful)
Life isn't all ergonomic keyboards and naptimes on company time [workopolis.com]. Your entire argument is based on emotion and conjecture. Walmart has done nothing illegal, and for you to bash them as if they're just some evil corporation is ridiculous.
sub-poverty level to me, and I may be wrong about this, means below poverty level. Being paid about two times minimum wage wouldn't be below poverty level. I would think below minimum wage would be sub-poverty level.
not the way the world works. These people are living on such a thin margin of financial saftey that a missed paycheck, an injury, their car breaking down, can make the difference and put them on the street.
Actually, that's exactly how the world works. Here's the secret. If you have some ambition for a better job, go out and start looking while you hold your current job. You may be miserable for a little while, but if you line it up right, you can quit your current job and move on to you new happy job.
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart (Score:5, Informative)
Wrong. You're assuming an open availability of jobs, which doesn't exist either in the real world or any theoretical ones. The job market is terrible, especially for people who lack education or skills to get a modestly paying job (>$18000/yr).
There are several reasons a person might have to work for Wal-Mart or a supplier. They may have no useful education or job skills to work anywhere else in their area, there may be no other employer in their area that is hiring, or Wal-Mart might be (believe it or not) the highest paying employer they can work at. And before you say, "Ah, but they could move!" no, they very well may not be able to. They may lack the money to move, they may not want to remove their children from their school, they may need to care for sick/elderly friends or family members, etc.
It is possible to be "forced" to have to work somewhere. Wal-Mart knows this applies to more than a small percentage of its employees, and treats them accordingly.
Wal-Mart's low prices sustain development in third world countries.
That's an equivocation [texas.net] that conservatives often make. Jobs being produced in third world countries and factories being built does not mean "development" is taking place, if the jobs being created do not pay a high enough wage that employees are bettering their lives through working there, or if the factories are not running cleanly enough that they are polluting the area and causing health and environmental harm to the area.
Your points are all so easy to refute.
Tu quoque.
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart (Score:3, Insightful)
To add to this point, Wal-mart is very much what economists would term a "monopsonist," meaning it is the only buyer, whether that be buying product or labor services. The situation is akin to an auto factory being built in a small town-- by doing so the employer isn't really
Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches (Score:3, Interesting)
I question the validity of this. I am not familiar with WalMart.com's sales but I bet they are dwarfed by Amazon's sales. (WalMart, in general, however I am sure dwarfs that.)
While cheap, it will take more than a few cents savings to convince people to use Walmart's service as opposed to using itunes [apple.com]. Hey, better yet, why not download for free [shareaza.com]? Seriously though, unlike their globally dominating bricks and mortar brand, I don't see this taking off as well. But maybe I'm wrong; perhaps WalMart's music service will take off. Hey while we are at it, maybe while people are at the site they will buy a bunch of Lindows PCs [lindows.com] too. :)
Plus with the selection available at WalMart (or lack therof [metroactive.com]) I hazard a guess that WalMart will not be the most prevelant music download service...
Re:Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches (Score:3, Insightful)
As well, in addition to the $0.11, you get to directly use the music without burn/waste disc/re-rip and recompress and add more loss and hassle on multiple media players and several (20+ at last count) portable units from multiple manufacturers. Not to mention in-dash and portable CD players that do WMA.
Re:Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches (Score:3, Insightful)
With any luck, they'll never need to know the name.
Re:Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches (Score:4, Funny)
sucker (Score:3, Insightful)
They've also heard that's where the jobs are going too
Seems it was Wal-Mart that promised America it would promote madeinUSA....but gosh, where is that APEX TV made...ummm...not in USA? How patriotic.
Re:Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches (Score:3, Insightful)
Wal-Mart is a tiny drop in the bucket of goods that are manuf. in Asia, while the bulk is sold regionally, inside China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, etc.
Wal-Mart could stop orders tomorrow, and Asia would hardly take notice.
Re:Wal-Mart Music Download Service Launches (Score:5, Funny)
Let me guess... (Score:5, Funny)
The test file said "Thanks for shopping at Wal-mart!
Re:Let me guess... (Score:5, Informative)
I was also able to download and play the test file on my Mac in Windows Media Player 9 for Mac. This proves nothing because the test file has no DRM on it. I hope a lot of Mac and Linux users aren't foolish enough to try to buy any songs, because if you delve deep enough into their FAQs you'll find the following information:
Can I play music from Walmart.com Music Downloads on my Macintosh(R) computer?
No. Music Downloads from Walmart.com are not compatible with any Macintosh computer. The music that you download requires Digital Rights Management 9 (DRM 9) software, which is not compatible with the Macintosh operating system.
This means No, Mplayer on Linux won't work either because it doesn't support DRM.
LINUX USERS BEWARE!!!! (Score:3, Informative)
woah nelly! (Score:5, Funny)
Here's what you need to play a song: A Windows PC. See all system requirements. Windows Media Player 9. Get it now for free. Approximately 10 MB of disk space on your PC. A connection to the Internet the first time you play a song. If you currently have a Windows Media Player installed on your computer, you may be prompted to update certain components of the player before you can play the song. Click here for information about installing, configuring, and troubleshooting your Windows Media Player.
Who do they think we are? This is /. by God. We shall never be held by the "requirements" of simpletons!
Re:woah nelly! (Score:2)
Hope springs eternal
Seems to work fine on mac (Score:3, Interesting)
I did notice their song collection is pretty sparse. For example look at keb' mo and I see two songs listed for download and the rest marked "not available".
Wow (Score:3, Interesting)
Or not..
Napster is fulfilling my dreams of musical intimacy. I don't care for DRM, but that is a reality that shall be eternally attached to digital music sales.
Clif
All that is solid... (Score:3, Interesting)
This is nothing new really, and as Marshal Berman said, All that is Solid, Melts into Air. ( BooK: Amazon [amazon.com] )
Censorship (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Censorship (Score:4, Insightful)
It bites, and the fact that they don't clearly label the "WalMart Edit" as such is bordering on deception, but it's not censorship.
A Government saying that no retailer can sell the unedited version, that'd be censorship.
--
Re:Censorship (Score:5, Insightful)
censor ( P ) Pronunciation Key (snsr) n.
1. A person authorized to examine books, films, or other material and to remove or suppress what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable.
I don't care how they do it, they are still forcing artists to modify their vision and keep lots of people from accessing the original piece of work.
Sure they can select what they sell, but it doesn't mean that it's not censorship. When they throw their economic weight around to get people to re-record songs, or when they alter artwork and lyrics. That's censorship.
When the biggest store in the USA decides that it won't carry any album what has X or Y on it, it's pressure put on the artists to conform or suffer huge losses of money and exposure.
For joe mullet that lives in a small town that doesn't have indie music stores and such, wall-mart is often the place when he first discovers music (at age 11 or whatever). If all they carry is a "weeded out" selection, it could affect his tastes for years and reduce his horizons quite a bit.
Market pressure is not Censorship (Score:3, Insightful)
Merely deciding not to carry certain content in your store is hardly censorship, any more than a church deciding they don't want porn mags brought into Sunday school. Market pressure exists from many sources, not just from Walmart's decision not to carry unedited versions. That decision comes from their desire to appeal to the broadest common denominator, and they've decided that's the same audience as bland broadcast-network TV. (
Re:Censorship (Score:3, Insightful)
That'd play well in a free market. This isn't one.
Besides, if you want kid-friendly music, buy from kid-friendly artists. You should be the one educating your kids and deciding for them if you so choose, not have a store decide for everybody.
Re:Censorship (Score:3, Insightful)
In any case, I retract "joe mullet" but only because people like you will use it to muddy up the point. I'm canadian and have nothing against mullets. It just sounded cool as a generic name.
But I do have something against censorship and the "I know better than you what you need" folks like you who accept it as something normal and good.
If you don't want your kids to be badly influenced by something, be a parent and tell them about it, dammit. It's not by shielding them from reality that
Re:Censorship (Score:3, Insightful)
haha. Yeah. Please tell me what I am. You obviously know better than I do...
I am not in favor of GOVERNMENT burning anything. Reality is not a person telling you to beat up women, rape them, kill them, burn their bodies, and sell them into prostitution. Reality is not extolling the virtues of killing cops. Reality is NOT what is being sold often. You can tell your children about all the bad things AND still enforce a policy of them not induldging in massively dam
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Censorship (Score:3, Insightful)
http://www.massmic.com/walmart.html
It's about what one would expect from a Bible-belt-run company whose main source of income comes from the lowest 2 tax brackets. Not to be stereotypical, but it's true. Sometimes cliches are true. Hey, I'll buy some stuff at WalMart, but never music. Unless you're okay with edited, censored music, you'd best stick with iTune
Re:Censorship (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Censorship (Score:2)
They even hire illegal immigrants to clean the stores to cut costs. They are ruthless and highly greedy.
I do not shop their just for these reasons, censorship included.
For geeks? (Score:5, Insightful)
Think about the big picture. Demand MP3 and OGG files. This cannot be understated.
That's too expensive... (Score:3, Funny)
For geeks my hiney (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, huzzah and hurrah with highly polished brass knobs on. Everybody knows the vma format is the sound format of choice for true geeks. Geeks even make a point of cat-ing their
Re:For geeks my hiney (Score:2)
Interesting format... (Score:2, Insightful)
It doesn't feel like I'm making a commitment, it is simply a place where I can buy digital music...like Amazon.
I will add it to the list of places I search when I'm in need of a song. 88 cents doesn't really catch my eye. I'm curious to how they can survive at so low of rate, unless they cut a better deal with the recording industry (which is possible given all the freaking CDs they sell nationwide, everyday). Does make one wo
Re:Interesting format... (Score:2, Redundant)
Because this is how walmart works. They undercut the competition until there *is* no more competition. It remains to be seen, however, what will truly happen when walmart is the world's only megacorp...
Ah... Walmart Audio (Score:5, Funny)
it'll be amusing when..... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:it'll be amusing when..... (Score:2)
So many questions (Score:5, Funny)
Will I have barefoot pregnant mothers with no front teeth jostling me so they can download "Shania Twain's Greatest Hits" first in the queue, before me?
Will my internet connection be trampled over, causing me to pass out [bbc.co.uk], as a mob of people try to download the new cut price 77c song?
Boy oh boy, I can hardly wait!
How to recognize a Walmart song? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How to recognize a Walmart song? (Score:2, Informative)
(and I thought those years I worked there went to waste)
Profit? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Profit? (Score:2)
Re:Profit? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Profit? (Score:5, Interesting)
Yah, but it's Wal-Mart... (Score:5, Funny)
I bet that would've messed up the formatting on their website or something though. Oh well.
Walmart is evil and full of controversry (Score:3, Insightful)
They are screwing all the grocery store businesses in the southwest by forcing their competitors to stop paying their workers health insurance just to say competitive. They are the cheapest because they buy alot of customers fire all of them and ship the labor oversea;s. The made in the USA banner in all their stores are such crap!
They have the GDP of most countries and according to Business week magazine is projected to be the seller of 50% of all household goods by 2008!
Walmart also forces vendors to outsource labor to 3rd world countries because they only stock products that are the cheapest. If not then you go out of business since Walmart will own 50% of all your customers by 2008!
All the products are cheap crap over there and the walmart down the street from where I live recently, because they put in camera's in the breakrooms, bathrooms, and hired a gumshoe to determine if the employees were forming a union. Only a few were but they fired all 120 workers in the store just to be safe and replaced them will mexicans willing to work for minimum wage.
The controversy is endless and this corporation makes Microsoft and the RIAA look friendly.
Just a little warning and you all may want to do some research before buying any laptop or music service from them.
Re:Walmart is evil and full of controversry (Score:3, Informative)
I shop around for good prices, but a good price is one th
Re:Walmart is evil and full of controversry (Score:4, Insightful)
Perhaps part of the problem is that health insurance in the US is outrageously expensive.
Walmart also forces vendors to outsource labor to 3rd world countries because they only stock products that are the cheapest. If not then you go out of business since Walmart will own 50% of all your customers by 2008!
By keeping their prices low Walmart provides a lot of goods for people who are in the lower income bracket. These people like to eat too.
If vendors want to sell to Walmart, they need to keep their prices low. How they do it is up to them, not up to Walmart.
Even if Walmart has 50% the market (which it doesn't yet) shouldn't competition be able to survive? MS has 90% of the desktops, but somehow Macs and Apple are doing OK.
Re:Walmart is evil and full of controversry (Score:3, Insightful)
Many of whom are poor because Walmart moved into town, forced their previous employer to close down, and now they work at Walmart where they also shop for everything because they can't afford anything else. Anyone else reminded of the old "Company Store" towns?
Re:Walmart is evil and full of controversry (Score:3)
Right on man! I'm boycotting them too. I'm doing it for all of the reasons you stated and, I have to confess, because I can't stand the white trash that it attracts. Time after time I see 350 pound women in sweat pants with 5 kids who are also wearing sweats, are in desperate need of a hair cut and are yelling and screaming and won't shut the hell up. A Wal-Mart opened up in my town about 2 years ago and I have yet to set foot in the place.
What I find increadibly ironic is that most of the white trash tha
Quick look (Score:5, Interesting)
All rights in the Products are owned by WALMART.COM or its licensors and you have only a limited, nontransferable, nonexclusive, revocable, nonsublicensable right to use the Products for personal use in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
Re:Quick look (Score:5, Insightful)
What the fsck is "revocable" doing in there? Why should I pay Walmart one red cent if they can just roll back my rights whenever they want to? That has to be against some law, right? Or else you're not really "purchasing" the song, more like it's being leased to you.
Ironic screenshot? (Score:5, Interesting)
http://musicdownloads.walmart.com/catalog/
Macs are out!
Yet this page has a screenshot from a mac!
http://musicdownloads.walmart.com/catalog/s
Re:That isn't a mac... (Score:3, Informative)
It's quite likely that the marketing department uses Macs and hasn't upgraded to OS X (probably bec
It would be nice but... (Score:2)
Derek
How is it apart from WMP? (Score:2)
88 cents a sound effect! (Score:5, Interesting)
This is NOT a music service for geeks ... (Score:5, Informative)
DRM alive and well on OS X (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm looking forward to seeing a thorough comparison of the quality of Wal-Mart's encoded WMA (I couldn't readily find the encoding details) and Apple's iTunes AAC. I doubt that Wal-Mart is the store of choice for audiophiles, so I'm suspecting Apple's downloads are of better quality.
iTunes wins hands down on interface, usability and reliability. I can't see Wal-Mart's web-only interface winning them any converts. And, as I was checking back just a couple seconds ago, it appeared to be just starting to feel some pain from the
The potential "problem" is price. 88 cents is hard to beat, especially when folks are downloading Britney Spears latest pop hits (again, not the audiophile audience). I suspect Wal-Mart *is* making money, if only because they are leveraging their position as the number one retailer. "Want us to carry alot of copies your new album in our store? Then, you'll let us put your song on our online service and let us make money there too!"
Right now, as a Mac user, I just blew 88 cents on a song I'll never be able to hear. They lost a *potential* customer by locking my platform out. That may be their biggest downfall.
You suspect correctly about the audio quality (Score:4, Informative)
All things being equal (source quality, etc.), which they probably aren't, AAC should beat out WMA handily at bitrates like what the iTMS and Wal-Mart are using. The only chance WMA would have of approaching AAC in quality at that bitrate would have been if Wal-Mart had used WMA Pro, but because of the lack of hardware player support for WMA Pro, that probably won't happen soon.
I haven't seen tests directly comparing AAC to WMA (non-Pro), but Roberto Amorim's testing at 128kbps with AAC and WMA Pro [ciara.us] and ff123's testing of a different AAC codec against WMA non-Pro [ff123.net] probably say enough.
Also, Apple has actually spoken about the quality of the sources that they encode from (the original masters rather than CDs themselves), and Wal-Mart hasn't.
I do hope that whoever elects to actually directly compare the quality of Wal-Mart's music to Apple's doesn't just look at frequency analysis to do it. Apple's AAC lowpasses at 16 KHz, but to use this as some sort of indication of quality is ludicrous.
Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart (Score:3, Redundant)
1. American Wal-Mart Employees Are Exploited.
2. Wal-Mart's Low Prices Are The Result Of Human Misery.
3. Wal-Mart Forces Its Unethical Practices On Its 65,000 Suppliers.
4. Wal-Mart Destroys Local Communities.
5. Wal-Mart Is Not Accountable.
1. AMERICAN WAL-MART EMPLOYEES ARE EXPLOITED:
* "Full-Time" (actually 28 hours/week) employees only gross $11,000 a year,
on average.
* Health benefits are available only after two years, but premiums are so
high only 38% of employees can afford it.
* Even discussing working conditions or unionization will result in
retaliation and firing.
* There is "a harsh, anti-woman culture in which complaints go unanswered
and the women who make them are targeted for retaliation." (Quote taken
from a national class-action suit against Wal-Mart.)
2. WAL-MART'S LOW PRICES ARE THE RESULT OF HUMAN MISERY:
* 13-16 hour days molding, assembling, and painting toys, 7 days a week; 20
hour days in the peak season.
* Workers are paid 13 cents/hour wages in China: the minimum wage is
31 cents.
* There is no health or safety enforcement: constant headaches and nausea
from chemical fumes, indoor temperatures above 100 degrees F, rampant
repetitive stress disorder, no protective clothing available.
* Most employees are young women or teenage girls.
3. WAL-MART FORCES ITS UNETHICAL PRACTICES ON ITS 65,000 SUPPLIERS:
* Suppliers have to open their accounting books to Wal-Mart executives so
they can cut "unnecessary expenses" like unionized workers, health
benefits, and American-made products.
* Suppliers are forced to move facilities to China and other low production
cost nations to meet Wal-Mart's demands.
* Competitors are also forced to abandon customer service while slashing
employee wages and moving production to foreign sweat shops to remain
competitive.
4. WAL-MART DESTROYS LOCAL COMMUNITIES:
* Wal-Mart stores average 200,000 feet in size: more than 4 football fields
and destroying any sense of community or character where they are located.
* By pricing items below cost they crush local retailers. Once they hold a
monopoly in the market they raise prices.
* Three good jobs are destroyed for every two Wal-Mart jobs created.
* Instead of business profits being reinvested in the community they are
shipped to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
5. WAL-MART IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE:
* The media won't report negatively about Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart would
pull its huge advertising budget.
* The 535 members of Congress have no power compared to Wal-Mart's
global reach: Wal-Mart does not have to answer to American voters, just
it's stockholders who are seeking unethical profit.
* Wal-Mart is radically remaking our labor standards and local economies
by stifling debate, suppressing knowledge, and not asking our consent.
Re:Why Not to Shop at Wal-Mart (Score:3, Insightful)
There I was thinking that the 535 members of Congress could pass laws banning Wal-mart's business, raising taxes on it, closing foreign markets to it, etc. I thought they had the ultimate potential legislative power.
All the music is made in China (Score:3, Funny)
Quick search of relevant acts (to me, at least): (Score:5, Informative)
Dio:
ITMS - three full release albums from Dio (including an album from '96 that I'd never heard about) - no hits from his stints in Deep Purple or Black Sabbath, oddly enough, or any Dio albums as old as what I own
WMMS - a "Very Best of Dio" album, and two compilation albums with a track from Dio
Iron Maiden:
ITMS - twenty-four albums (including several duplicated "special edition" albums - assuming to be edited)
WMMS - also twenty-four albums, but you can see "remastered" and "limited edition remastered" for most of the album names, so the total number of availble albums is lower than at ITMS
Manowar:
ITMS - three albums
WMMS - Amazingly enough, one album: "Fighting The World". which is also on ITMS
Duran Duran:
ITMS - eight full albums, one partial album
ITMS also has the only album relased by Arcadia, which was several of the D^2 boys post-band split
WMMS - five albums, as well as several compilation album hits
WMMS also carries the Arcadia album
Kate Bush:
ITMS - four albums, plus one hit on a compilation
WMMS - four albums, plus hits on three compilations / soundtracks - wow, Kate Bush is in GTA: Vice City? Who knew?
ABBA (hey, they're the wife's LPs, not mine!):
ITMS - fourteen albums
WMMS - twenty(!) albums - though the same caveat about "remastered" applies, there were a few albums that ITMS didn't have listed
And, just for testing's sake (and since I'm on a roll), a few things not in the house:
Slayer:
ITMS - eight albums, and one hit from a NASCAR album(?)
WMMS - two compilation hits - the NASCAR one, and a soundtrack from WCW
Spike Jones:
ITMS - three full albums, and three compilation hits
WMMS - one album, and three compilation hits
Wu-Tang Clan:
ITMS - three full and apparently one partial album, three hits for compliations and soundtracks; slightly less than half of the ITMS tracks were labeled "explicit"
WMMS - three albums and one compilation hit, all labeled "edited", none "explicit"
John Denver:
ITMS - fifteen full albums, three partial
WMMS - umm, a lot - they listed 485 tracks, spread out over 10 screens; I couldn't find an easy way to list all the albums, or even all the tracks on one screen, like you can do with ITMS, so I stopped comparing sites at this point
So, WMMS beats out ITMS for performers like ABBA and John Denver, while ITMS excels at... most other stuff. Feel free to continue to compare / contrast... I'm going to bed
Re:Quick search of relevant acts (to me, at least) (Score:3, Informative)
Desmond Dekker & The Israelites:
ITMS - 42 Songs: 1 full album (best of) and 3 compilations
WMMS - 3 songs: 2 compilations
Link Wray & The Wraymen:
ITMS - 1 song: 1 compilation
WMMS - nada
Sebedoh:
ITMS - nada
WMMS - nada
Trailer Bride:
ITMS - 26 songs: 2 albums
WMMS - nada
Yoko Kanno & The Seatbelts:
ITMS - nada
WMMS - nada
Modest Mussorgsky:
ITMS - many: 5 full versions of Pictures At An Exhibition, 2 versions of Night On Bald M
Not playable on Mplayer (Score:5, Informative)
The results are mplayer not being able to play it. Oh well.
dan@stryker:~/Desktop$ mplayer Crash
MPlayer 1.0pre2-3.3.2 (C) 2000-2003 MPlayer Team
Playing Crash
ASF file format detected.
= ASF Stream group = START =
object size = 32
stream count=[0x1][1]
stream id=[0x1][1]
max bitrate=[0x1f67f][128639]
= ASF Stream group = END =
Clip info:
name: Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm
author: Crash Test Dummies
copyright: (P)&(C) 1999 Arista Label. All Rights Reserved.
=
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, 16 bit (0x10), ratio: 16002->176400 (128.0 kbit)
Selected audio codec: [ffwmav2] afm:ffmpeg (DivX audio v2 (ffmpeg))
=
Checking audio filter chain for 44100Hz/2ch/16bit -> 44100Hz/2ch/16bit...
AF_pre: af format: 2 bps, 2 ch, 44100 hz, little endian signed int
AF_pre: 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
SDL: Samplerate: 44100Hz Channels: Stereo Format Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian)
AO: [sdl] 44100Hz 2ch Signed 16-bit (Little-Endian) (2 bps)
Building audio filter chain for 44100Hz/2ch/16bit -> 44100Hz/2ch/16bit...
Video: no video
Starting playback...
A: 0.0 0.0% 0%
Exiting... (End of file)
Edited for junk filter
DO NOT buy music from wal-mart (Score:3, Interesting)
Selection?? (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll stick with iTunes for myriad reasons, but here are the biggest ones:
1. WalMart has excluded me based on my status as a Mac user. For some reason, they saw fit not to include me and my ilk in their business plan.
2. There is no classical music, which is 90% of what I buy. Here even iTunes isn't so great, as what I'm interested in is new music by living composers, and the selection there is limited.
3. WalMart is an evil, unscrupled company.
Reading this, WalMart? You could turn me into a customer, but I imagine it's not likely to happen.
Re:88 cents! (Score:5, Insightful)
2) They bundle their store with free burning/ripping/playlist software and seamlessly integrate it. The only thing Wal*Mart is good at integrating is their supply chain.
3) Apple is a company that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I buy their products. Did Wal*Mart create the first music store? No. Did Napster develop a really great MP3 player? No. Apple innovates, and that's why I like them.
Re:88 cents! (Score:5, Informative)
An additional point that is often lost on slashdot discussions is the fact that Apple's "AAC" format isn't just something they made up, nor is it something that Apple "controls." It's the audio component for the mpeg 4 standard which was created by several biggies in the industry [apple.com].
Contrast this with Microsoft's "WMA" format. Who made it up? Microsoft. Who can change it any time they wish? Microsoft. Who can determine which players, companies, computers, people can play the files? Microsoft.
Do you trust Microsoft not to abuse that position? I thought not.
Re:88 cents! (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Nah (Score:2)
Re:11 cents less (Score:5, Informative)
Record label: NO! We want 75c per song
Wal-mart: fine we will stop selling your music in our stores
record label: err.. damn.. fine 40c it is then
thats how wal-mart works
Re:A Question, RE: "I Want To Burn As XXX Format", (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Sales Tax!!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
First, when you buy music online you do not own it. Second, it is not tangible property. Thus, it should not be taxed.
Re:Sales Tax!!!! (Score:3, Interesting)