# Music downloads w/o hidden agenda **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199 "2005-10-07T15:09:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/1 "2005-10-07T15:09:52Z")
I am trying to do some music downloads wherein the company doesn’t tack on some satanic peripheral to just download the stupid music! example: Yahoo downloads, 99 cents each: I have to download their stupid messenger asnd all kinds of other crap; they secretly loaded 4 icons onto my desktop (also, how does one uninstall Yahoo messenger? it doesn’t have an uninstall tab.) THEN, the stupid thing wouldn’t work (all of my hardware etc… was installed correctly.) next: walmart-88c per: got down to the pay section, did that, then they would refuse to allow me to download until I went through some nonsense with Verify on Visa or something, which would require me to use an ID when I used m Visa at a local Walmart, of all things!another stupid add-on rather than a straight online transaciton. I decided not to download anything at all, and forget all of the online downloads; now, however, I’m jonesing for the music. Is there any site that can get me the music without these pernicious add-ons? thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/2 "2005-10-07T18:27:26Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > I am trying to do some music downloads wherein the company doesn’t tack on some satanic peripheral to just download the stupid music! > example: Yahoo downloads, 99 cents each: I have to download their stupid messenger asnd all kinds of other crap; they secretly loaded 4 icons onto my desktop (also, how does one uninstall Yahoo messenger? it doesn’t have an uninstall tab.) THEN, the stupid thing wouldn’t work (all of my hardware etc… was installed correctly.) Uninstall the Yahoo program, Then re-install it. Pay attention when it’s installing, and you will be able to uncheck the option for the messenger and taskbar. You don’t have to install them, but the default is to install. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/3 "2005-10-07T18:40:50Z")
What about iTunes? It comes with Quicktime, I think, but that’s actually a useful program. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/4 "2005-10-07T19:01:32Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > What about iTunes? It comes with Quicktime, I think, but that’s actually a useful program. We must have very different definitions of useful. If by useful you mean take over all the associations, run when my computer starts and take up 20 megs of ram and then refuse to open any of my content because it’s written by a bunch of incomptent incontinent apes who care more about shiny design principles than functionality. You don’t know how many times in my line of work we had to make our cameras do something particularly bizarre just so that quicktime would play our standards compliant video file. It’s the buggiest media player after Real, and that’s not saying much. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/5 "2005-10-07T19:40:59Z")
> [@groman](#): > > You don’t know how many times in my line of work we had to make our cameras do something particularly bizarre just so that quicktime would play our standards compliant video file. It’s the buggiest media player after Real, and that’s not saying much. You should try Windows Media Player for the Mac sometime. Now _that’s_ suffering. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/6 "2005-10-07T22:10:24Z")
If you’re looking for live stuff, you can try the [Internet Live Music Archive](http://www.archive.org/audio/etree.php). You can download one song at a time or entire sets from bands that allow fans to record their performances. You won’t be able to find everything you hear on the radio, but there’s some great stuff on there. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/7 "2005-10-07T22:12:41Z")
thanks for all the help! ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/8 "2005-10-08T07:27:53Z")
[www.allofmp3.com](http://www.allofmp3.com), Very cheap and ridiculously easy to use with their allofmp3 explorer program. > [@rjung](#): > > You should try Windows Media Player for the Mac sometime. Now that’s suffering. Y’Know you’re pro-mac anti-windows schtick is getting really old and predictable. When I read **groman** ’s post I knew someone, and I had a feeling it would be you, would come in and defend their precious Macs. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/9 "2005-10-08T07:42:45Z")
Oh, relax. Windows Media Player and Quicktime are **both** worthless, resource-sucking, underperforming, jack-of-all-trades piles of suck. See, we can get along! ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/10 "2005-10-08T07:59:53Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > Windows Media Player and Quicktime are **both** worthless, resource-sucking, underperforming, jack-of-all-trades piles of suck. Agreed. I haven’t yet found a media player that I really like. Although I do know that Real is the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/11 "2005-10-08T08:42:06Z")
> [@groman](#): > > We must have very different definitions of useful. If by useful you mean take over all the associations, run when my computer starts and take up 20 megs of ram and then refuse to open any of my content because it’s written by a bunch of incomptent incontinent apes who care more about shiny design principles than functionality. > > You don’t know how many times in my line of work we had to make our cameras do something particularly bizarre just so that quicktime would play our standards compliant video file. It’s the buggiest media player after Real, and that’s not saying much. I just don’t identify with these situations I hear. I’ve never heard of Quicktime taking over all the associations. RealPlayer you have to be careful with, but QT is pretty good. Of course, it sucks as an overall video player. I can’t believe how Apple has let it become such a niche product that plays such a small number of files and has no playlist, etc. Zoom Player is the BOMB for a PC. I truly think you can’t do any better than that. No virus-like attitudes, and it plays almost everything right away. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/12 "2005-10-08T11:14:24Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > You should try Windows Media Player for the Mac sometime. Now _that’s_ suffering. > [@treis](#): > > Y’Know you’re pro-mac anti-windows schtick is getting really old and predictable. When I read **groman** ’s post I knew someone, and I had a feeling it would be you, would come in and defend their precious Macs. Dude, you need to take a deep breath and relax. **Rjung** didn’t say, “Bah, PCs suck for media. Buy a Mac… the only REAL computer for media playback.” He said (and I paraphrase), “If you think your media players on a PC are bad, you should try using WMP on a Mac. It’s so sucky it’ll make you cry.” And I HAVE used WMP on a Mac, and yes, it will make you cry. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/13 "2005-10-08T11:32:34Z")
**Cardinal** , you say “almost everything,” but that doesn’t include RealPlayer format. I browsed the site ( [http://www.inmatrix.com/](http://www.inmatrix.com/) ) and found that it needs RP and some bridge software installed to work with those files. Does anybody know of another player that handles RealAudio files? Or Quicktime, for that matter? ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/14 "2005-10-08T13:21:00Z")
**Handsome Harry** – don’t know if you’re still looking, but a friend just turned me onto [emusic](http://www.emusic.com), which offers nonpropietary mp3s at a pretty reasonable rate. ($6.99/month, I think?) They also give you 50 free downloads right off the bat-- you can take the free ones and run within a two-week trial period or stay with the service. I d/led a handful yesterday and the only software they wanted me to take was their download manager, but I think even that’s optional. Decent mp3s, too. Come in at 128. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-downloads-w-o-hidden-agenda/325199/15 "2005-10-08T13:38:28Z")
> [@treis](#): > > [www.allofmp3.com](http://www.allofmp3.com), Very cheap and ridiculously easy to use with their allofmp3 explorer program. > > Y’Know you’re pro-mac anti-windows schtick is getting really old and predictable. When I read **groman** ’s post I knew someone, and I had a feeling it would be you, would come in and defend their precious Macs. I don’t know that allofmp3 is quite as legal as the services the OP is looking for. I know, it’s probably debatable, but it is definitely in a grey area where as the ones mentioned in the OP are obviously legitimate.