English
18 January 2010
If you’re using Pandora a lot, heres another music service you might like: Lala.
Not to be confused with Lulu, the self-publishing service, Lala is a site that allows one to:
- listen to any song once through in its entirety
- add songs to one’s web collection, so that one can listen to it streaming anywhere, for a mere $0·10
- upload music from one’s Mac or PC so that one can listen to it on any computer with Internet access when one is logged in
- after adding a song, to download the MP3 file for a further $0·79 (more or less, depending on the song)
The advantages over the iTunes store are readily apparent. For example, the cost of downloading a song averages $0·89 total for the more portable MP3 file, rather than $0·99 for the DRM-protected file. (As of 6 January 2009, Apple has removed the DRM protection from most of its music collection, but about one-fifth of the music remains protected.) It’s interesting that I found out about Lala literally hours after it was reported acquired by Apple on 5 December 2009. I don’t know what Apple will do with Lala; maybe it will integrate some of its functionality into the iTunes Store.
Because of Lala, I can embed songs and albums that I like on my blog (see, for example, my updated post on Ennio Morricone).
Another possible resource for readers who like Pandora and Lala is Last.fm. This site follows a Pandora-like method of stations, except that the music it plays is based on the tastes of other music listeners and not on people’s analyzing the music itself. I don’t use Last.fm myself, but someone else may find it useful.