Can someone give me a good reason why I should use iTunes, Napster, MusicMatch or any number of only music services? With Apple announcing the 200 millionth song download there must be a lot of people who don’t mind purchasing restricted music. When I purchase a CD I rip it immediately on my home computer so I can share it over my home network. I occasionally rip it at work so I don’t have to tote the CD back and forth. The CD eventually ends up either in the car or in the CD rack so I can listen to it over our home stereo system. Can someone tell me how I’d be able to do this with music purchased from iTunes or any other “legal” music service?

What happens if I purchase a dozen songs from iTunes and my hard drive crashes? Wouldn’t you think since I purchased the song already I’d just need to fire up iTunes and download the song again for free? Sorry, my only option is to repurchase all those songs again. There have never been so many music services yet still so few options which allow me to listen and share my music as I desire.

Part of the fun in purchasing new music is sharing it with friends. When I was in high school I’d head over to my friends house who had a large collection of albums. I’d purchase a blank cassette and dub a compilation of my favorite songs. Sort of a 1980’s playlist if you will. Much of the enjoyment came from listening and sharing music with my friends.

Do these music services really think I’m going to pay a buck a song and then pay extra for the privilege of copying it to my iRiver H-120 or burning it to CD-R? I want to pay for the music I enjoy and I have over in the years while amassing a CD collection numbering into the 800s. But I’m tired of paying $16 for one of two decent songs and another eight filler songs that suck. I’ll continue to rip and share my mp3 collection with friends and family. When I come across music I enjoy I purchase the CD even though I understand very little of my purchase price makes it back to the artist.

Update: Some people have taken my post as a rip on Apple. That wasn’t my intention at all. It appears that iTunes is a nice service if you own an iPod. But I can’t imagine buying a CD and being told it only works on one brand of CD player. That’s what I feel Apple is telling its customers. iTunes sounds like an impressive alternative but it needs to be opened up for those people who have chosen to go the non-iPod route. There are many reasons for chosing another brand of mp3 player. My iRiver requires no drivers to run under Windows XP, has an FM tuner, voice recorder, and an awesome LCD remote. I’m glad Apple doesn’t sell gasoline or they’d tell me it would only work with the Apple iCar. 🙂

How has Apple been able to create a portable music device that’s become the “must have” gift this year? And why hasn’t anyone else been able to create much buzz around their player? The Rio Carbon appears to be the only other mp3 player I hear or read anything about. I just can’t believe that the iPod is so much better than anything else available. So why is everyone talking almost exclusively about the iPod? Even Scoble begged Gates to get in the game with a cool player. Here are my thoughts:

The iPod is Sexy – It exudes style and if you’re going to be carrying it around in public you might as well look cool. Even the white earphones (as terrible as they sound) look pretty hip.

iPod ads are Unique – The bold, two color ads are memorable if a little too “in your face” for me. I’ve seen the ads parodied around the web and people remember them.

Tons of Accessories – From designer cases to speakers, nothing comes close to offering the number of add-ons or accessories for your iPod.

Sense of Community – From iPodLounge to the many other websites where iPod owners congregate and discuss their obsession, there’s a sense of belonging to an exclusive club when you purchase an iPod.

Apple Stores – I’ve never owned a Mac but I can’t keep myself out of the Apple stores when I visit the mall. They are so open and bright and I can’t keep my hands off the products. Many retailers keep the mp3 players behind glass or on a leash. Seldom do they have them out to test drive. Apple, on the other hand, has the iPod near the entrance and they make them easy to test drive.

I owned a 2nd generation iPod for a couple of weeks. Maybe my experience with the device would have been more enjoyable had I owned a Mac and been accustomed to iTunes. But as the owner of a PC running Windows XP, I found working with the iPod driver and MusicMatch software an exercise in frustration. I refuse to own an mp3 player that requires extra software just to move files back and forth between the device and my PC.

I eBay’d my iPod and eventually purchased an iRiver H-120 which I just love. It doesn’t have nearly as many accessories and might not look as cool as an iPod, but it’s a fabulous little player. It’s recognized as an additional drive under Windows XP, doesn’t require any special software to transfer files back and forth and had the coolest LCD remote you’ve ever seen. It’s been one of the best items I’ve purchased in years. I’m not sure it’s the device I’d buy for my parents, for for the technically savvy, it rocks.

I brought my dog named Elka into work with me today. It doesn’t make much sense because I don’t get as much work done when I bring my 2 ½ year old boxer with me but maybe that’s part of the enjoyment. I work in a building that’s owned by Microsoft and I’m told there are rules against bringing pets to work.

Elka loves the attention she receives from my coworkers. I can instantly recognize which of them are dog owners and which are not. During a nutty 6-month stint at a start up company called Petplace.com bringing your pet to work was not only allowed but encouraged. Among our regular visitors were a Great Dane, an African Grey and three extremely foul smelling ferrets. There were a dozen of us Petplace peons crammed into a tiny office, and I dreaded the days when our test manager would bring in a large cage containing his three ferrets. Thankfully, this guy didn’t come into the office very often because he always had to be with his dog at home. It’s really too bad the company never got off the ground although not surprising given the amount of attention people gave their pets.