Why I love iTunes...

There are those that can argue and are probably right to some degree that digital music possesses none of the quality of a good ole fashioned record or CD even. I love listening to music. I love singing in my room when no one is around, I love singing in the car with a cup of Dunkin Donuts® coffee in my hand swerving in and out of traffic and smiling at the lady in the vehicle next to me. As long as I can hear some degree of instrument mixed in with vocals, I am good to go! So, these people that speak of the "missing quality" from mp3's and AAC's (which are actually pretty good) I say BOO HOO! Feel completely free to continue listening to your records and 8tracks and whatever it is that you do, I will continue LEGALLY purchasing and downloading my electronic files.

For one, I no longer have to own a CD rack, thank GOD! All of my files are magically stored and quite beautifully organized on my laptop computer and backed up via Time Capsule. When purchasing via iTunes, most CD's have the Digital Booklet that comes with the purchase of any album so I can still look at the lyrics when I'm not sure what the hell I'm singing.

The digital downloads are typically a little cheaper than if you purchased the album from a retail location. The only album that I've paid more than $10 for recently was Robin Thicke's new collection, which was worth every penny.

You can also purchase MP3 files from Amazon.com which are automatically transferred into your iTunes music library and just so you're aware, Amazon is sometimes cheaper than iTunes.

Digital downloads are environmentally friendly! I feel so green when I purchase a digital download because I haven't contributed to the waste of paper and plastic to sell the media. Yes, it's a major reason of why I got into the digital market in the first place.

If you want the physical feel, you can always burn your files onto a CD and take it with you on your travels and when you burn as MP3, you can get as many (sometimes more) as 80 songs on one CD! It's amazing right? Right now I am dancing in my chair to Madonna's "Hung Up" and I am quite pleased with the sound quality (just thought I'd mention that).

I also have the option of buying a single song from an album and coming back months later to "Complete my Album" which basically means, you can buy the remainder of the album minus the price you paid for the single song you purchased previously. So, no more buying single CD's at Sam Goody and then having to spend $14 for the whole album!

Also with digital, I don't have to worry about dragging along that dreadful CD case whenever I'm on the road, most of my song library is located right on my iPhone! Now depending on your car stereo speakers, you may suffer some quality issues but let me tell you, when I was breaking the sound barrier in the Charger, there was nothing better than my $13 auxillary cord and my iPhone! With random play, artists select random play and the Genius playlist, I never got bored.

So, to those who just can't stand the new age of music I say, stick to what you love but let the rest of us enjoy the new age. Times change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst, I personally view this as a music revolution and I appreciate the technology! 'Nuff Said.

--Greg