# Amazon raped my song! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213 "2008-12-08T06:02:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nan\_Sequitur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Nan\_Sequitur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nan_Sequitur)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/1 "2008-12-08T06:02:40Z")
Well yes, that was kind of a hyperbolic B-movie thread title, but I am pretty pissed. I posted **Southbound Train** by CSN as one of the songs that makes me weep in [this thread](http://boardstest.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=482913&page=5). It occurred to me that I didn’t have it in my itunes playlist and did a search at their store for it… they don’t have it as a single download. Luckily, amazon had it, and I happily thumped down my .99 thinking that they would come through for me. Well, they did, in part. After downloading, I played it, and the harmonica smear at the beginning of the song was missing. I’ve got to say, that smear is the first step in achieving a good therapeutic cry, and I really can’t do without it. Can anyone recommend a reputable site like itunes that allows you to pay to download individual songs without having to pay a monthly subscription? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/2 "2008-12-08T14:00:31Z")
> [@Nan\_Sequitur](#): > > Can anyone recommend a reputable site like itunes that allows you to pay to download individual songs without having to pay a monthly subscription? Why not iTunes? It doesn’t require any sort of subscription. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/3 "2008-12-08T16:59:39Z")
> [@Nan\_Sequitur](#): > > Can anyone recommend a reputable site like itunes that allows you to pay to download individual songs without having to pay a monthly subscription? I believe emusic lets you do this… i think. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/4 "2008-12-08T17:22:59Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > I believe emusic lets you do this… i think. I think not - outside of the ‘introductory trial offer’, you need to get a monthly subscription, no paying ‘a la carte.’ A little surfing around on [emusic.com](http://emusic.com)’s FAQ pages have shown nothing to the contrary. (Personally, I sort of like hopping on emusic’s basic subscription plan for a few months every so often.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/5 "2008-12-08T17:29:47Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > Why not iTunes? It doesn’t require any sort of subscription. Yeah but you can’t put your songs on an MP3 player that isn’t an iPod. ---
**Author:** ![Nan\_Sequitur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Nan\_Sequitur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nan_Sequitur)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/6 "2008-12-08T17:56:34Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > Why not iTunes? It doesn’t require any sort of subscription. Well, no doubt iTunes is the easiest to use and dependable, but their catalogue of music is a little thin. Not the first time I’ve gone looking for a track that really isn’t all that obscure, and not been able to find it there. For instance, I was pleased to find Jennifer Warnes **Famous Blue Raincoat** Leonard Cohen tribute; but not the song, **I Know a Heartache When I See One** from her earlier **Shot Through the Heart** album. Multiple versions of **Up Where We Belong** , however. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Nan\_Sequitur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Nan\_Sequitur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nan_Sequitur)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/7 "2008-12-08T18:29:22Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Personally, I sort of like hopping on emusic’s basic subscription plan for a few months every so often.🙂 I just checked this site out… thanks! I prefer owning music rather to renting, and I like to make sure the artist gets paid. I even pay for my Nine Inch Nails. 😉 Rented music… that is just twelve different kinds of wrong. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/8 "2008-12-08T19:15:35Z")
> [@Nan\_Sequitur](#): > > I just checked this site out… thanks! I prefer owning music rather to renting, and I like to make sure the artist gets paid. I even pay for my Nine Inch Nails. 😉 > > Rented music… that is just twelve different kinds of wrong. To make this clear, [emusic.com](http://emusic.com)’s version of a subscription has NOTHING to do with renting music. They give you DRM-free MP3 files that will not expire when your monthly subscription relapses. Instead, the deal is basically, “At the start of the month, we bill your credit card and give you X number of download tokens, (according to the plan your on which determines your CC charge,) which you can use at any time to download a song.” If you try to download more songs than the number of tokens you get, you get bumped up to a higher plan (with an extra payment,) or get charged for a ‘top-up.’ I’m not sure how that part works, because I always keep count of my tokens and have never gone over. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nan\_Sequitur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Nan\_Sequitur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nan_Sequitur)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/9 "2008-12-08T19:20:23Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > To make this clear, [emusic.com](http://emusic.com)’s version of a subscription has NOTHING to do with renting music. They give you DRM-free MP3 files that will not expire when your monthly subscription relapses. This is what I liked about it. I get excited and lose my communication skills, sorry. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/10 "2008-12-08T19:33:00Z")
Try [CDBaby.com](http://CDBaby.com) ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/11 "2008-12-08T21:06:52Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Yeah but you can’t put your songs on an MP3 player that isn’t an iPod. iTunes Plus songs will. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-raped-my-song/476213/12 "2008-12-09T01:03:04Z")
Complain to Amazon and say the MP3 was cut-off. I’m sure they’ll refund your money.