iTunes - love it for the most part - customized music
Written: Apr 22 '06 (Updated Apr 22 '06)
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I started playing around with iTunes when my son wanted an iPod for his 16th birthday. Since he only made that one request, it was pretty much a done deal. I read up on iPod and the link with iTunes and began snagging some songs.
A Grand Idea Really
There are few albums that I love from start to finish, so a song-by-song “buy” option works out well.
I was able to go back and get loads of old songs that I adore but would not buy in album format. Really now, “Ring My Bell” from the days when I was taking Driver’s Ed brings back fond memories, but I couldn’t handle a full disco line up. Same thing with “Play That Funky Music.” I recall when the school cafeteria had a jukebox and that song ran non-stop. In fact, the jukebox was pulled, because too many students climbed on the tables to dance when that song came on. I had to have that song, but the rest of the “Wild Cherry” stuff doesn’t do it for me.
Now, if you do have favorite artists and want to buy full albums, you can do that too. Those run about $9.99. Some are higher (like the doubles) and some are lower (like the niche artists). But, you do have the option of buying single tunes for .99. Napster kids may not like that, but I’m OK with about a buck a tune when it’s something I really like.
Not Comprehensive
You will NOT find everything at iTunes. Though they have a huge selection, there are some songs that you’re not going to pull up.
I wanted “American Pie” by Don McClean. That is a classic “hot” song. Actually, I could get the tune, but it would have required buying the whole album, and frankly the rest of that album is not so great. I will just have to save that tune in my head for now.
There were some other sleeper songs from days gone by that did not pop up. While Black Oak Arkansas has listings, they do not offer “Back Door Man.” That may be because of the sexual connotations. On the other hand, “Seasons in the Sun” by Sammy Jacks doesn’t pop up, and it’s such not on any kind of “ban” list (that I can imagine). Another I could not pick up at iTunes was “Chevy Van,” and I sure do love that song.
Ease of Use
When I first signed up, no problem. I just downloaded some songs and also jammed in some CDs and then had them in iTunes. You can play from both a purchased list (through iTunes) and from your own CDs with iTunes. You can also import songs. For example, if you get free downloads from spaces like Amazon, you can pull them over to iTunes and listen.
They have a folder system, so you can take whole albums and make folders or come up with random mixes of things you want to hear. This took a little work to figure out, but it was not really hard. One song can go in all or some folders. There is both a drag feature and also a “save as” feature.
When you have folders set up, then you can play those or you can burn CDs. I do it both ways. No problems with either.
Adding in the iPod
When I got the iPod (that is designed to work with iTunes), I thought I was ready to go. The iPod clearly stated that it was important to download the disk. I was stressing, since I thought I might lose the songs I’d bought. I didn’t have a lot then, so I pressed load with the iPod CD and held my breath. It did not delete my purchased songs, so that was good.
The unfortunate thing, though, was that the iPod (with iTunes) is set up to do auto updates. This meant that my kid would plug in his iPod and get my old music. He was not impressed as you can imagine.
If you dig in deeper, you can find options to chick check boxes and only updated certain folders on iPod. This is rather a bother, but it does get around my kid having things like “Fat Bottomed Girls” and “Wild Thing” on his iPod.
Ideally, everyone with an iPod would have a personal computer. That is not going to happen here anytime soon. My son and I are both using iTunes, and we’ve managed to set the upload so that he usually does not get my liberal songs (when he is a conservative kid). Really now, he is not going to be thrilled with Drive By Truckers and “Bulldozers and Dirt.” Now and then, we slip, but if we pay attention, then our lists are separate.
How Exactly Does iTunes Work?
First, you download the program. This can be done online through the site or with the CD that comes with the iPod. Both are simple enough. Hey, they are selling product, so they want to make sure you can spend your money.
Once you have the program, you click and pull up iTunes. There are a number of buttons. You can click to add CDs or tunes from the iTunes collection. One thing that did surprise me was that it takes a darn long time to download. It must be close “real” time. Once you have the songs, they are there and instant to pull up. Getting them in there takes a while.
If you are a full-album person, then you can have various albums set up and ready to play, burn, or load on iPod. If you like mixes or just want to delete a few bad songs from a favorite CD, then you can do that. That is mostly grabbing with the cursor and pulling here or there or checking or un-checking boxes. A little confusing to start with. Easy once you get the hang of it.
The Sound
The quality of the downloads is very good. It’s not like vinyl. But, what is? I can’t really tell the difference between the iTunes played on my computer, put on iPod, or burned other than the speaker quality or headphone quality. If I burn a CD and put it on my good stereo, I have darn good sound. The computer plays fine though not anything like shaking the walls. The iPod has little ear buds which I am pretty sure will result in a nation of deaf adults down the road, but the sound is OK.
Would I Go Back for Seconds?
Well, yeah, I bought some tunes and then got the iPod that seems to be the mega craze these days. I’m glad I had a little experience and could help my kid get some songs and get going on his iPod.
It would be nice to have different sign ins on the same computer and to keep music catalogs separate. It’s possible to work around that, but I do think the creators had in mind a single person with a single computer. That would really be the way to go but not realistic for many families.
Hum. Maybe I can shove one of my old favorites over on my kid’s list and turn him on to some new-to-him music. Everyone ought to have to listen to “Big Yellow Taxi” once at least. But, there’s just no pushing off your music on others, so I’ll keep working the folders and trying to keep my music on my lists and his on his lists. That “Temperature Song” by Sean Paul just makes me darn nervous, and I’ll bet most of my stuff rubs my son the same way.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Cyndi
Location: out in the yard grilling
Reviews written: 1176
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About Me: The first and greatest commandment is, don’t let them scare you. Elmer Davis
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