Oh my god...it's full of dunces... (Score 1)

The amount of disinformation and misinformation in this thread is incredible: 1) With the iPod you are not "locked in" except if you are dumb enough to by DRMed music. Can you rip a CD to MP3 or AAC and load it on your iPod? Check. Download mp3s off of usenet and load them on your iPod? Check. Load your friends' non-DRM tracks on your iPod? Check. Load all of the non-DRM music from your iPod to your friends' computers? With any number of free utilites, again check. Download a gigabyte of MP3 torrents and stick a few gigs at a time on your iPod or iPhone? Check. 2) eMusic does not sell DRMed files over the web--they sell completely unprotected MP3 files that work with every player, including iTunes, iPod and iPhone. I've been subscribed to eMusic for a couple of years and the only time I'll actually buy a track is through eMusic. Just download the files, drag them into iTunes, and done. Since they are completely uprotected you can also burn backups to CD or DVD, toss the disc in a drawer, and reload or transfer the files if need be. Another nice thing about eMusic is your account history keeps track of the files you've downloaded so if you ever find yourself losing mp3s you haven't backed up you can just go redownload the files. 3) Although eMusic works on a subscription basis it is not a "terminate your account and you lose your music" type subscription. The subscription is for a minimum number of mp3 downloads per month--use them or lose them. If you use them the files are yours to keep, unprotected, for however long you want and without any requirement that you stay subscribed. 4) Relating to the whole mp3 lock-in thing, Apple has never done anything to interfere with or complicate use of eMusic and there probably wouldn't have been an iTunes music store if the major lables had made their music available on the terms offered by eMusic. 5) With AT&T eMusic is offering a special, much more expensive account which sells music tracks playable just on your compatible AT&T phone. With the purchase you can also download mp3 versions of the music you've bought. Since the iPhone syncs with iTunes and has no problem loading gigabytes of the normal mp3 files eMusic sells from its site under its normal subscription terms there is not reason for anyone with an iPhone to pay extra for the rigamarole of receiving files for the phone and separate mp3s for the computer. With the iPhone you just get the mp3s and transfer them to the iPhone. So not offering the service for iPhone makes sense since nobody with an iPhone needs it or would want it. 6) Notice that that whining about iPod lock-in comes mostly from the major music labels that could solve any lock-in problem by offering their music DRM-free, as EMI is doing? Think the labels are concerned about the consumer? If so you have brain damage. What pisses the labels off is that they are stuck selling hit singles for a low price, when they would love to, for example, sign an exclusive deal with bestbuy.com where you could could only download the new Beyonce or whatever single from bestbuy.com at $5.99 for a single track instead of the iTunes 99 cents. If this wasn't the case then the labels could have solved any question of being tyed in with the iPod by offering their tracks through eMusic.