Problems With the Zune Marketplace
The Zune is Microsoft's answer to the iPod. The initial release of the Zune had some advantages over the iPod including wireless syncing, the ability to share music with other Zune users wirelessly, an FM channel and Xbox integration. Even so, it's failed to take off like the iPod and ITunes, and part of that is due to problems with the Zune Marketplace.
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Digital Rights Management
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Digital Rights Management, or DRM, is a technology employed by online music retailers to ensure that music purchased from a site is not then disseminated to non-paying listeners. Unfortunately, the DRM used by the Zune Marketplace does not always make computer upgrades easy. The upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 has left some users unable to listen to older music they purchased through the Marketplace because the new operating system and the DRM software don't communicate properly. The older music won't play on the computer and won't sync with the Zune, either, making it completely inaccessible.
Complicated Buying System
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Rather than using a straightforward system of exchanging money via credit card or Paypal for songs, the Zune Marketplace uses Microsoft Points. You purchase points and then use the points to purchase songs. Some people find the extra step unnecessary and cumbersome. Not only that, but you have to purchase points in what are called point packs. They are available in packs of 400, 1200, 2000 or 4000. Since a song typically costs 79 points, you'll have five points left over from every five song purchases. That's only a few cents, and they will accumulate so you can put them toward future purchases, but most people would find it simpler to just pay for a song directly.
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Zune-only Compatibility
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Unless you download a song from Zune Marketplace explicitly in MP3 format, you may be purchasing a song in a format that will only play on Zune devices. This limits how you can use your music in the future.
Poor Cover Art
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The cover art available through the Zune Marketplace is over-compressed. This, of course, doesn't impact the music or the buying experience, but some people are huge fans of cover art for the albums and songs they purchase, and they want it to look good. Through the Zune Marketplace, cover art doesn't look as good as it could.
Subscription Model
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You can download music from the Zune Marketplace on a song-by-song or album-by-album basis, or you can purchase a monthly subscription. Monthly subscriptions allow users to download as many songs as they wish, but access to the songs discontinues if your subscription is cancelled. The Marketplace does allow you to select 10 songs to keep permanently from each month's downloads, but this model is potentially confusing and inconvenient for users who decide to discontinue a subscription.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Richard
