iTunes: Is It Worth It?

iTunes is one of the most convenient ways to get music. We all know that. It's as simple as getting on your computer and clicking some buttons. Yet, since 2007, Apple has charged up to $1.29 on some songs. The reason behind this is a feature called "iTunes Plus". What iTunes Plus does is raise the bitrate on songs, leading to a higher sound quality. If you have older songs that were not downloaded in the iTunes Plus format, then you can upgrade those songs for as little as 30 cents.

Now this doesn't really sound too bad, but the problem is the songs. This may sound odd, since I just said a bunch of nice things about them, but I don't mean the sound of the songs, I'm talking about the choices. If you go over to the top ten most downloaded songs chart on the iTunes store home page, you will notice that the price of each song is almost always $1.29. However, if you look at the more indie or just unpopular songs, they are usually 99 cents. Well, doesn't this make sense for Apple to do this? If you have something that will make you money, why not try to get the most out of it? Personally, I don't think this is bad at all. If I was the person in charge, I would probably do the same thing. But in the view of the consumer, they may not be getting the best value towards their music.

Most average users assume that since iTunes is meant for iPods, they shouldn't use some other downloading site. Yet, if people explore their options a little more they may find that iTunes isn't the best fit for them. Sites like Rhapsody allow users to download and listen to as much music as they want for a monthly rate. If you listen to a lot of music, maybe you should consider ditching iTunes. 

Being an iTunes user that is considering switching, I also want to hear what you guys have to think! Does anyone reading use Rhapsody or other music downloading sites? If so, leave a comment saying how you like it!

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