MP3s

Stereos, Tapes, CDs and Vinyl Records: My Frustrating Romance With Old-Fashioned Audio Gear

So, here's the thing. My stereo components have been in boxes gathering dust ever since I became a fully fledged member of the iPosse. Ditto for my CDs, cherished cassette tapes and even a few essential vinyl records. Since Jesus and I are relocating to London, and I've ripped everything I really listen to, you might say it's a no-brainer to throw it all out. But it's not that easy to do, is it? More »

11:00 AM on Sun Jun 1 2008
By AddyDugdale
10,940 views, 77 comments

Latest by leMel: If hit with massive EMF, the only thing still playable will be the vinyl. Needle and horn, all you'd need. more »

question of the day

Question of the Day: How Big is Your Digital Music Collection?

I get tired of music quick, and I'm not much of an archiver, so I don't need a lot of hard drive space or a high capacity MP3 player to store my music. However, there are plenty of folks out there that have taken to collecting digital music with the same voracity as people once did with CDs and vinyl. Fortunately, these days a music collection doesn't require you to add on to your home. So, the question is: how big is your digital music collection? More »

5:00 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
By Sean Fallon
27,474 views, 163 comments

Latest by n/a: i got about 42GBs now on an 80GB classic...with a Touch in the mail. Most of the files are ripped from library CD's. This is seriously a good place to get music. Your local library probably has more »

diy

Build Your Own Internet Connected Alarm Clock

If you love DIY projects, and you take your alarm clocks seriously, this little project from DJ Delorie should be right up your alley. Using a PIC24FJ64 microcontroller, ENC28J60 Ethernet chip, MP3 decoder chip, an organic LED graphical display and a 24LC512 EEPROM for storage, Delorie managed to make an alarm clock that can automatically set the time, stream MP3s, and be managed remotely. Hit the link and click "Entry" for instructions on how to build one yourself. [Circuitcellar via Make via Unplggd]

9:00 PM on Mon Mar 17 2008
By Sean Fallon
7,019 views, 18 comments

Latest by zenpoet: @NikFromNYC: Blurg, bubble, unghh? more »

mp3 store battlemodo

Amazon vs. Wal-Mart: MP3 Store Showdown Before iTunes Final Battle

Now that EMI and Universal have seen the light and started offering music in DRM-free MP3 format—and according to well-founded rumors, Sony and Warner are also exploring a DRM-free launch in 2008—online music stores finally have the means to get iPod-friendly and take on iTunes. As you know, iTunes only offers AAC files, a small fraction of which are DRM free, so Amazon and Wal-Mart have launched MP3 stores to lure people looking to buy their newly-freed tunes elsewhere. So, iTunes defectors, where should you go? Into the familiar embrace of Amazon, or into the hairy, bologna-scented arms of Wal-Mart? I took them both for a spin, and made the call. More »

1:00 PM on Fri Dec 7 2007
By Adam Frucci
8,827 views, 46 comments

Latest by Trackback: APPLE TO WAL-MART: SURRENDER NOW It’s not official yet, but for all the speculation it might as well be: Apple’s poised to overtake Wal-Mart for the No. 1 music retailer slot this year. Apple Second Only To more »

drm deathwatch

Wal-Mart Joins Amazon to Push Labels to Ditch DRM Once and For All

Even if the remaining major labels who have yet to ditch DRM are dragging their feet on the road of inevitability, major online retailers don't feel like waiting around for them to finally do the deed. Wal-Mart has reportedly made an ultimatum of some sort to major labels demanding that they start selling their catalogs in MP3 so the retail giant can add them to their upcoming MP3 store, which, coming from a retailer of that size, should get their attention. And as we reported on Friday, Amazon plans to give away one billion MP3s with an upcoming Pepsi/Super Bowl giveaway. More »

9:54 AM on Mon Dec 3 2007
By Adam Frucci
8,397 views, 14 comments

Latest by Trackback: Nintendo's Wii tops shoppers' search list .. not that any of the poor sods can actually FIND one. Good to see solid toys like lego still in the top 5 too.Yes, we can act against the corruption of children's lives more »

itunes

Confirmed: Apple Going $0.99 on DRM-Free Tracks

Jobs confirmed Ars's scoop that the iTunes+ DRM-free content was being price dropped to $0.99. Nick Wingfield, friend of Rosie O and writer for the WSJ, scored the interview with El Jobso. This is the price the DRM-free tracks should have started at, and I'm glad to see it finally there. [Ars and WSJ]

4:13 PM on Tue Oct 16 2007
By Brian Lam
1,990 views, 15 comments

piracy

Jury on First RIAA Trial Goes Into Deliberations, Hopefully Aren't Dumb

The trial of the century — Capitol Records, et al v. Jammie Thomas — is coming to a close, with the Jury having just been sent in for deliberations. The case, which is the first RIAA case to make it to trial, all hinges on whether or not Jammie was the one using her Kazaa handle to share 1,700 files. The suit actually has been boiled down to a mere 24 MP3 files, but the RIAA claims they deserve $150,000 per song. What planet are you living on, RIAA? More »

5:30 PM on Thu Oct 4 2007
By Adam Frucci
5,002 views, 21 comments

Latest by sgodun: Jammie loses. [blog.wired.com] more »

still drm free

Amazon's MP3s Contain Watermarks, But Not the Privacy-Invading Variety

Amazon.com's new MP3 store watermarks its MP3s, but only with information stating where the songs were purchased, not who did the purchasing, according to the online uberstore. That's the good news. The bad news is that this issue has inspired me to ramble about the stupidity of the whole idea of watermarking tracks with identifying info. More »

2:15 PM on Wed Sep 26 2007
By Adam Frucci
10,910 views, 24 comments

mini review

Amazon Non-DRM MP3 Store now in Public Beta, Easy to Use

Amazon's MP3 store is now in public beta, so you can all have a fiddle around with the DRM-free service &mdash like I just did. First observations: More »

9:37 AM on Tue Sep 25 2007
By AddyDugdale
8,890 views, 19 comments

wanna hold your mp3s

McCartney Says Beatles Online Deal 'Virtually Settled'

Yes, we know, there have been a half dozen or more false alarms about the Beatles music finally becoming legally available online, but this time, we're hearing it from a former Beatle. Singer-songwriter Paul McCartney told Billboard in an interview that a deal to sell the Beatles catalog online is "virtually settled." More »

2:00 PM on Fri May 11 2007
By Charlie White
2,438 views, 15 comments

cheap mp3s

Dealzmodo: 4GB Meizu Miniplayer $99

Who'd have thought that the cheapest place you can find a 4GB Meizu Miniplayer was Walgreens. Who knew Walgreens even sold electronics? That's just weird. More »

9:00 PM on Fri May 4 2007
By Jason Chen
6,034 views, 13 comments

portable media

Bill Gates Hates DRM: Not Quite Enough

In a recent interview, Bill Gates said these fine things about DRM:

- "DRM is not where it should be"
- "causes too much pain for legitmate buyers"
- "huge problems"
- "People should just buy a cd and rip it. You are legal then."

Well...then...uhh...sure wish someone with power and influence would do something about it...– Mark Wilson More »

10:35 AM on Sat Dec 16 2006
By Mark Wilson
498 views, 16 comments

gadgets

Bicycle MP3 Player With Speaker - $130 Can Do Better

Because riding while wearing headphones can be dangerous, Hammacher Schlemmer is offering an MP3 boombox for your bike. It snaps on to any 1" frame and plays back 1GB worth of music (an SD slot allows for expansion). The casing is weather resistance and charging is handled through USB...since you can always charge USB on the trail. More »

3:49 PM on Sat Nov 4 2006
By Mark Wilson
2,113 views, 13 comments

cingular

100% of Cingular Polls are Flawed

Cingular recently claimed their studies show over half of all cellphone users want music on the go, which is their justification for launching a music service. What they sort of ignore in their poll results is that this "portable digital music" doesn't need to come from a cellphone. Cingular just assumes that people will want the portable music on their phone and not on a specialized player. More »

11:33 AM on Sat Nov 4 2006
By Mark Wilson
171 views, 13 comments

mp3s

Saint B MP3: Sorry God

The Saint B is an MP3 player concept out of Russia. The unit hangs around your neck where OLED beauty glistens through a flexible black plastic cover. The player charges/syncs via USB. But what we like most about the Saint B is the sinful bang for your buck: More »

3:30 PM on Sun Oct 29 2006
By Mark Wilson
2,597 views, 42 comments

gadgets

Hydra: Cheap, Wet MP3 Player

Are you like some character off The OC, constantly finding yourself punched into pools during posh dinner parties? Maybe you are more into fulfilling the faux spontaneous "threaten to push the girl in, act like you're not going to push her in, push her in, she pulls you in" romantic, aquatic movie scene we all know and love. More »

11:05 AM on Sat Sep 23 2006
By Mark Wilson
336 views, 8 comments

cellphones

Philips S660 Budget-Minded Music Cellphone

So it looks like Philips is the latest company to jump into the music phone game with its S660. That said, Philips may be targeting a more budget-minded audience with this one given its fairly small feature set. Only coming with 128MB of storage, the S660 doesn't even offer a memory card slot, which is odd since many of its competitors do. It is dual band GSM (900 and 1800 MHz), though, so trips back and forth across the pond might be a little easier. The display is a little on the lame side as well, supporting only 65,000 colors and with a 128x128-pixel resolution. More »

12:10 PM on Fri Sep 22 2006
By Gizloco
981 views, 1 comment

Latest by oyajijason: Reminds me of the SE W550 "music" phone that's limited to onboard memory, too. That just sort of kills it, IMO. Oh, and GSM 900 and 1800 make using this phone in North America impossible, unless you folks are referring more »