FREE/BARGAIN — Media Deals (non-eBook/non-audiobook)

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Free at Google Play...

Now Hear This! - The Winners of the 14th Independent Music Awards

75 tracks total

Now free at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017DYS9OO.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Now free at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017DYS9OO.

Just a heads up. I am not knowledgeable enough about such things to know, but there may be an advantage to downloading from Google Play over downloading from Amazon. I'm thinking, in particular, that one may be DRM-Free while the other one is not (if that is so, and I was a bettin' man, I'd bet that Amazon would be the one which did not have it DRM-Free). Maybe some dear MobileReader in the know on this would enlighten the rest of us on this matter.

[brouer]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Just a heads up. I am not knowledgeable enough about such things to know, but there may be an advantage to downloading from Google Play over downloading from Amazon. I'm thinking, in particular, that one may be DRM-Free while the other one is not

MP3 as a format doesn't support DRM, so neither store's version will pose any difficulty playing on whatever device you like. (They might be watermarked, but that's another matter).

But, AFAIK, Google's MP3s are often a higher bit-rate than Amazon's.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by brouer

MP3 as a format doesn't support DRM, so neither store's version will pose any difficulty playing on whatever device you like. (They might be watermarked, but that's another matter).

But, AFAIK, Google's MP3s are often a higher bit-rate than Amazon's.

Thanks. Exactly the kind of information that I wanted to find out!

[GtrsRGr8]

One piece of information that someone else might find useful . . . .

Both Google Play and Amazon label the album as "Explicit." Personally, and hoping not to be considered a prude by saying so, I am turned off by that kind of music.

Of course, not all tracks will be explicit--there is at least one "Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album" among them, after all.

Google Play does not tell us which track(s) are explicit, but Amazon labels #59, "On the Rise (Rap/Hip-Hop)" as explicit (thank you, Amazon). Spotify is good about labeling songs when they (or maybe someone else) regards them as explicit; I didn't check, but they might have more songs from this album labeled that way.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

One piece of information that someone else might find useful . . . .

Both Google Play and Amazon label the album as "Explicit." Personally, and hoping not to be considered a prude by saying so, I am turned off by that kind of music.

Monkey solves that problem thusly:

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by brouer

MP3 as a format doesn't support DRM, so neither store's version will pose any difficulty playing on whatever device you like. (They might be watermarked, but that's another matter).

But, AFAIK, Google's MP3s are often a higher bit-rate than Amazon's.

Not only that, but Amazon's digital music store has always been DRM-free. By that point the record labels had finally realized locking everyone in with DRM had made sure no one could compete with Apple, and iTunes was the dominant music seller. (As I recall, they'd passed up Wal-mart a year or two previously at that point.) So they let Amazon open up their store DRM-free, and it wasn't long before Apple was able to go DRM-free as well, and DRM for purchased music largely went away. Lest I make it sound like Amazon was the savior here, Apple hadn't wanted to use DRM from the beginning, but the labels insisted, and they were quite happy to get rid of it too.

On bit rate, Amazon uses variable ("Where possible, we encode our MP3 files using variable bit rates for optimal audio quality and file sizes, aiming at an average of 256 kilobits per second (kbps).") while Google uses constant, set at 320kbps (this is the max bit rate).

Both are high quality, some people like to have 320kbps CBR over VBR, but realistically very, very few people can hear the difference. Filesize is probably a bit smaller for Amazon's on the same track.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Monkey solves that problem thusly:

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

That's a good thing, too, because monkey see, monkey do.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Manabi

Not only that, but Amazon's digital music store has always been DRM-free. By that point the record labels had finally realized locking everyone in with DRM had made sure no one could compete with Apple, and iTunes was the dominant music seller. (As I recall, they'd passed up Wal-mart a year or two previously at that point.) So they let Amazon open up their store DRM-free, and it wasn't long before Apple was able to go DRM-free as well, and DRM for purchased music largely went away. Lest I make it sound like Amazon was the savior here, Apple hadn't wanted to use DRM from the beginning, but the labels insisted, and they were quite happy to get rid of it too.

On bit rate, Amazon uses variable ("Where possible, we encode our MP3 files using variable bit rates for optimal audio quality and file sizes, aiming at an average of 256 kilobits per second (kbps).") while Google uses constant, set at 320kbps (this is the max bit rate).

Both are high quality, some people like to have 320kbps CBR over VBR, but realistically very, very few people can hear the difference. Filesize is probably a bit smaller for Amazon's on the same track.

Thanks. More helpful information!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

That's a good thing, too, because monkey see, monkey do.

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

That's a good thing, too, because monkey see, monkey do.

tubemonkey may be in trouble then, there's no monkey don't unravel.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Manabi

tubemonkey may be in trouble then, there's no monkey don't unravel.

[tubemonkey]

Spotify -- Final Day -- exp 15 May


FREE -- Spotify Premium (free 3-mo trial) --> details

[Manabi]

Be sure to check if you have any Amazon slow-shipping promotional credits expiring today. While there's no way to see when your credits expire, you can check your promotional balance here.

You can also search your E-mail for the subject "benefit conformation for your order" and try matching the dates in those up with what your balance is. I found I had only $1 in credit, but my most recent E-mail was for one expiring in July. I apparently used the ones expiring today already.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Spotify -- Final Day -- exp 15 May


FREE -- Spotify Premium (free 3-mo trial) --> details

Should I, or shouldn't I . . . . ?

On the(a) signup page, Spotify gives these three reasons for having Premium:
- Listen without the distraction of ads
- Play music with no phone service (?--I don't use my phone for it now, G.)
- Skip as many songs as you want (This isn't Pandora--I already do that with my Spotify membership, G).
See something missing? I do. It's the benefit of improved quality of sound.

Spotify doesn't seem to mention that much as a benefit of Premium, and I wonder why. When they do mention it, it always seems to be low-key. I can't help but wonder if there really is any improvement in the quality of the sound with Premium. I didn't dig around their website to find out, if indeed they give any details about that. And, then, there's the question of whether or not this non-audiophile would actually be able to tell the difference. I probably wouldn't.

I'm going to skip the offer this time. I just don't see any benefit to having Premium and I don't need to add an expiration date for the trial to my calendar to add to all of the clutter that's already on it--like the Downpour trial expiration date . . . . But, thanks for posting the information.