Posted by JC at
I recently found out about a very cool music program. It is the online iTunes. Seriously. The site is lala.com. The way it works is you download a little program that will scan your computer for MP3s and then will start the "upload" process.
The way it works is it looks at each song and compares id3 tags (possibly other information) and looks for a copy of the song on the server already. If it finds a copy of the song online already, then you are in luck and you get a song match. Basically, the song is not uploaded, but simply added to your library of songs. If the song isn't found, then it is uploaded and then added to your library (and made available to other libraries). All of the songs are kept in the cloud and available to you at any time that you are connected to the internet. You can see from my screenshot that I had several songs that had to actually be uploaded. That is likely due to the fact that I have a lot of cds from Russia that probably didn't have all the ID3 tags. All the same, it only took about 12 hours to upload the over 500 songs.
Once you have your songs matched and uploaded, then you are set. You can even delete the little program that you had to download to get your songs online (but if you add new music to your collection often, then you are better off keeping the program installed). You can now access your songs from any computer at lala.com. Here is the interface:
Looks a lot like iTunes, and if you had iTunes on your computer then all of your playlists are also uploaded. Convenient. If you can't install anything on your work computer or don't have room for your music, but can access the internet, then you now have all your music available from any computer with a decent connection. Obviously the big downside here is that you have to be online to have access to the music. However, if you always want your music with you, that is what an iPod is for. This is an absolutely free alternative.
Another great service is the ability to listen to any song in FULL one time. How great is that. Now you can fully listen to a song before you decide if you want it or not. Also, if you want to buy music that is available only online then it is only 10 cents (89 if you want to be able to download the MP3 and burn it). Oh yeah, and you get 50 free songs to start. How great is that! Check it out and let me know what you think of the service. I have enjoyed it already and look forward to even more great features. You can follow me by searching for JC under the members section! Look forward to seeing you on there.
Oh yeah, and just as a note:
All four major labels including EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have agreements with Lala to stream and sell music.And unlike ad-supported music sites, Lala has garnered support from publishers and over 170,000 independent labels and distributors.
See the full story here.
