Amazon's New MP3 Store: Taking the Beta for a Test Drive

Remember this post I made a few weeks ago? Well my dream is finally coming true.

As of today, the long-awaited release of Amazon.com's MP3 Store is finally here! It promises DRM-free album downloads encoded at 256kbps VBR - but does this service live up to expectations? Lucky for you, I'm already out on the front lines testing it.

Since the service is only in beta, the range of available download-able material is quite low. Nevertheless, I managed to find something I didn't already have: The Best of Blur. (An album I should have bought a long time ago, but hey...)

After you go through usual payment procedures, you must first install a small piece of software titled "Amazon MP3 Downloader". After the software is installed, you can begin downloading digital albums.

Whenever you purchase a digital album, this program will reside in your system tray and quietly download the album you've requested. After it's completed the download, it can automatically add your newly downloaded music & album artwork to your iTunes or Windows Media Player library. Pretty sweet.

(Click on the thumbnail for a larger image)



So sit back and have a cup of...whatever...while your music downloads. Or, work on some graphical achievements in Photoshop CS3, like I do.

The icon in the system tray actively keeps you informed on download status.



So I got my music, dragged it over into my Winamp library, and it plays flawlessly. And I'm as happy as ice cream in July! Well...maybe not because...the ice cream probably wouldn't be happy because...it would be melting. I guess maybe I am as happy as if I were eating ice cream in July, but you know, you get my point...

Final Verdict: The MP3 tracks are pristine quality, the Amazon MP3 Downloader software is hassle-free, download albums start cheap at $8.99, and the album payment / download procedure is nearly as simple as iTunes.

So far, I am one very happy customer. Smart move Amazon, now just keep expanding the download library, and you may convince me uninstall iTunes altogether!