FreeMusic Trials: Head-to-Head

I thought I'd make it easy to compare online music download sites and their free music download trials by breaking out the features. 'Hope it helps.

(1) SIGN-UP for the free music trials, (2) LISTEN & COMPARE, (3) CHOOSE what "fits"

eMusic Free Music Download Trial

Real Rhapsody free music download trial

Napster free music download trial

Yahoo Music Unlimited free music download trial
Website eMusic.comfreemusicdownloads Rhapsody.comfreemusicdownloads Napster.comfreemusicdownloads (Distontinued)
Description Download and keep 30-75 mp3s every month from library of 2,500,000+ songs. Music subscription offering unlimited access to 3,000,000+ songs. Music subscription offering unlimited access to 5,000,000+ songs. Yahoo cancelled its music services, and now offers Real Rhapsody - Try Rhapsody instead!
Free Trial
Emusic free trial winsEmusic free mp3 download trial winsEmusic free music downloads win
14-day free trialeMusic free musicdownloads trial
+ 25 free mp3s
Real Rhapsody free trial rocksReal Rhapsody free music download trial rocks
14-day free trialReal Rhapsody free musicdownload trial
Napster's free trial the shortest
7-day free trialNapster music download free trial
(Yahoo Music is now Rhapsody)
Music Library
eMusic's music catalog is big
2,500,000+ songs
Rhapsody's music catalog is big
3,000,000+ songs
Napster's music catalog is the biggestNapster's music catalog is huge
5,000,000+ songs
(Yahoo Music is now Rhapsody)
DRM
Only eMusic has DRM-free MP3 downloads
no DRM (Mp3)
Rhapsody music downloads have DRM
Microsoft DRM
Napster music downloads have
Microsoft DRM
(Yahoo Music is now Rhapsody)
Notable Notes
Free MP3 downloads rock
Keep all mp3s. Unlimited burning.
Rhapsody's software and experience rocksYES
Access your iTunes library. Winner of PC World Innovative Products, CNET Editor's Choice, and DEMMX awards.
Free MP3 players rockFree portable music players rock
Free Creative ZEN V mp3 player with 1 year of Napster To Go.
(See Rhapsody)
Device Support
Any and all MP3 players workeMusic is compatible with all mp3 players
All devices
Rhapsody To Go free trial rocks
Selected mp3 players
Napster To Go is a solid option
Selected mp3 players/phones
(See Rhapsody)
Pricing $9.99/mo for 30 mp3s
$14.99/mo for 50 mp3s
$19.99/mo for 75 mp3s		 $12.99/mo for Rhapsody
$14.99/mo for Rhapsody To Go		 $12.95/month for Napster
$14.95/month for Napster To Go
(See Rhapsody)
Free Trial Sign-Up
eMusic Free Trialemusic freemusicdownloads
Real Rhapsody Free Trialrhapsody freemusicdownloads
Napster Free Trialnapster freemusicdownloads
(See Rhapsody)

Anything in the FreeMusic table confusing? Here are some answers.

What Should I Do First With the FreeMusic info?

MY RECOMMENDATION: First, definitely do the eMusic free trial, since you get to keep the 25 mp3 music downloads no matter what (DRM-free, baby). Next, check out the other free music trials, try each one for 5-10 minutes to compare the "feel" of each to see which fits you best. For example, eMusic is DRM-free, Rhapsody is the most innovative and fun, Yahoo! Music is the cheapest, and Napster has the biggest song catalog. Which online music features are most important to you?

Why Subscribe to Music?

The main argument for subscribing is the chance to pay the price of a CD every month for a ton of music. That's pretty much it. With eMusic, you're basically paying $0.30 per mp3 download (or $0.00 for 25 mp3 downloads, if you do the free eMusic trial). With the Napster, Yahoo Music, and Real Rhapsody music download sites, you're (theoretically) getting free music, since you're getting unlimited access to millions of music downloads at any time. It's sort of like cable TV -- you subscribe and continue to listen. Also, all the music in the above subscriptions are legal music downloads that are free of spam, free of spyware, and free of viruses (which can sometimes be problematic with freemusicdownloads and mp3s in P2P music networks).

DRM vs. DRM-Free

"DRM" is short for Digital Rights Management. DRM is used to prevent the illegal copying and sharing of digital music. Real Rhapsody, Yahoo Music, and Napster all use DRM. eMusic Mp3 files are DRM-free, meaning they can be copied and shared an unlimited number of times, and can be transferred to any mp3 player or mp3-compatible cell phone. Free musicdownloads rock.

FreeMusic Trials and FreeMusicDownloads

The free music trials give you access to the music download services for a limited period of time. Once the trial ends, you need not pay anything, just cancel the subscription. (Don't forget, or you'll get charged.)

iPod, iTunes, Mp3 Players

Only eMusic provides you with music you can use as iPod downloads, since they're DRM free. Rhapsody To Go and Napster To Go enable you to take your music subscriptions with you on selected Mp3 players and mp3 cell phones; check the music sites to see which devices work. Yahoo! Music Unlimited only works on home computers.

Why Did You Create the FreeMusic Trial Table?

Originally, I compared a number of freemusicdownload and music subscription services, along with their respective free music trials, for work. Recently, I thought, "Hey, free music rocks. I should share this with everyone." Lo and behold, I did. I also added affiliate links, because, why not? (Hey...I'm not a good coder, and it took me 5-7 hours to create this page..!) I hope it proves useful to someone. Enjoy!