Music

Amazon , in addition to being the premier online bookseller, also boasts an ample selection of music for online purchase. You can browse by genre, or peruse featured discounts, promotions, and hot artists of the moment. Amazon also offers personalized recommendations, gift ideas, and free standard shipping on most orders over $25. For $79 a year, the site’s Amazon Prime service gives you free two-day shipping on almost everything you buy. Amazon also provides links to specialty stores that carry hard-to-find albums.

Barnes and Noble is another leading national book and music seller. If you don't feel like heading to the Barnes and Noble location near you, you can shop for your music at the online store. Barnes and Noble offers very similar features to Amazon, with slightly different discount plans. For example, you can become a Barnes and Noble member to get 40 percent off everything you buy, and an in-store pickup option allows you to avoid shipping costs (and get your selections a bit sooner).

MusicStack.com is your source for the music you can't find anywhere else. It's not a store itself, but an online music "portal" that will help you locate the rare CDs, used vinyls, and out-of-print music that you want. And if it's available in more than one place, MusicStack will help you compare prices.

iTunes was initially developed by Apple to be used in conjunction with the Apple iPod. If you have an iPod, you use the iTunes program to transfer songs from your computer to the iPod and create and manage your playlists. You can also purchase music from the iTunes store. The store allows you to listen to 30 seconds of a song before you purchase it, and charges $.99 per song and usually $9.99 per album. iTunes occasionally offers free downloads of selected new music.

Rhapsody is a program for downloading music for MP3 players other than iPods. (The Rhapsody site lists compatible players). If you don't have a compatible player, you can listen to 25 free songs a month, and purchase songs for $.99 that can be stored on your computer and burned onto a CD. Or for $12.99 a month you can listen to unlimited songs on your computer; $14.99 lets you listen and also store songs on your MP3 player. As a member, you can purchase songs for $.89.

eMusic also offers monthly plans for downloading music, though you can’t sample the music online first. Essentially, you sign up for a certain number of downloads. For starters, you can pay $9.99 for 30 songs a month and get a bonus 25 free songs when you sign up. If you think you'll want more songs, larger plans are available. The music you buy can be played on any digital player and burned onto CDs.

Napster is a very similar program to Rhapsody. You can choose a plan that lets you listen to unlimited songs for $9.99 a month, or a pricier plan called "Napster To Go" that allows you to play the songs on supported MP3 players and up to three computers. You can try Napster for free for seven days and when you sign up for “Napster To Go” for one year, you get a free Napster MP3 player.  

OtherMusic.com sells CDs, records, and downloads, and also has updates on current and upcoming releases and an optional free email newsletter. In addition to new CDs, you can get information about their rarities collection, which is sold via an Other Music Ebay Auction. And if you're in the area, you can stay posted on the concerts hosted at their New York City location.

Insound is one of the top online dealers of independent music . On the site you can buy CDs, vinyl records, or download whole albums in MP3 format. Insound posts short reviews of new releases, has news on top sellers, and lists of upcoming new releases. The site also makes CDs available for pre-order.

Naxos is a top classical music label and has a Web site where you can purchase CDs. Through the site, you can also sign up for Naxos Web Radio, podcasts, or become a member of the library and listen to unlimited CDs on your computer every month. You’ll also find classical music news and reviews.

Beatport is the place to buy electronica. The site rates top downloads and helps you find music by genre, chart, label, artist, mix or through a keyword search. Most tracks start at $1.49 each. Beatportal, the site’s Beta section, offers electronic music news, reviews, video interviews, an event calendar, podcasts, blogs, and special downloads.