Apple 10 GB iPod (M8976LL/A, April 2003 Version)
by Apple Computer
Average Customer Review:
Electronics (02 May, 2003)

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Features

• Features redesigned and backlit navigation and remodeled headphones; headphones with wired remote are optional
• Discontinued by manufacturer, replaced by model #M9460LL/A
• Mac and Windows compatible; FireWire and USB 2.0 interface for fastest digital transfer available
• Optional docking station makes charging and synching easy
• More than 8 hour battery life on a 3 hour charge (1-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)

Reviews (218)

Small but great
I have one of these and I listen to it everywhere I go, great sound quality and good battery life. I have run out of space however, so I would recommend a newer one with a larger hard drive.

ayyeee
So easy to use, and really cool in the with a tape deck or itrip.

Recommend to anyone.

It's No Mini-Disc Player!
My Sony mini-disc player died after a short life (moment of silence). So when I got a new job, the toy of choice was an iPod. What a difference!

The bad as compared to the mini-disc player is that the iPod doesn't have an LCD display remote control. So with so many songs, it's hard to blindly navigate if your iPod is stashed away. Hopefully Apple will create such a remote. Otherwise, it wins over the mini-disc player hands down!

The new mini-discs hold 5 hours of music. 2 years ago that was a big deal. My 20 Gig iPod has 17 hours of music already and I am using merely 390 MB. That's less than a fraction of its capacity. The iPod's looking at me like, "When are you gonna REALLY add some music?"

The 3 lines of music data display the song title, artist, and even album! And the sound...oh boy. I feel like I'm at a concert! Excellent sound! You can also tweak the sound with the equalizer.

Once they make that LCD remote to make navigating easier, it'll be perfect. ... Read more

Asin: B00009J5VX
Sales Rank: 5736
Subjects:  1. 5GB    2. 5 GB    3. Portable Audio    4. MP3 MP 3 Player    5. Jukebox    6. MP3 Player (MP 3)    7. Apple    8. (Mac)    9. (Macintosh)    10. Gigabyte   

Apple 20 GB 3rd Generation iPod M9244LL/A
by Apple Computer
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $549.99
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Features

• More than 8 hour battery life on a 3 hour charge (1-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
• Features redesigned and backlit navigation; includes dock, wired remote control, earbud headphones, carrying case, and AC adapter
• 20 GB model holds up to 5,000 songs; supports MP3, AAC, WAV, MP3 VBR, Audible (6), and AIFF formats
• Mac and Windows compatible; FireWire and USB 2.0 interface for fastest digital transfer available
• Included docking station makes charging and synching easy

Reviews (218)

shamelessly flawed
This is a potentially great product that's on the market despite being shamelessly flawed. I bought an ipod, but found that customer support was expensive and useless; I use it for jogging and basically the battery gets me through only one workout before it needs recharging; iTunes, which is the only way to get songs onto the iPod, is terribly limited. Most of all though, it's the battery that makes me resent Apple most. They're making a fortune selling something that (surely they know) is terribly flawed. It also makes you feel disgusted with the mass media, which is pushing this product because it's "cool," without paying to attention to whether it actually works.

Died after 1 year and 8 months.
I used to love my ipod,but the fact that it recently died on me after a year and 8 months of use has left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. The most painful aspect is that I did not abuse it or use it heavily. The apple store guy at the genius bar informed me that a replacement would cost $250. Better than paying full price, but I am utterly disenchanted and will not pay for another ipod given my experience. Sorry Apple, you got to do better on the reliabilty issue before I even consider another ipod.

GREAT THING TO HAVE
Ipod is definatly better than CDs, I love it! I downloaded all
my favorite songs on the Itunes music store and on my cds and then downloaded them to the Ipod. I like it because it never skips, I can walk around with it everywhere. I take it everywhere
and is fun to take everywhere. I own it and keep it in my room
and play it sometimes when I want more music. I am gonna try it
for the car sometime to see how it works in the car, especially
when I'm on the road. It is definatly so much better than CDs.
I've downloaded more than 150 songs on Itunes on my computer.
Great item. ... Read more

Asin: B0000CEORU
Sales Rank: 8001
Subjects:  1. Portable Audio    2. MP3 MP 3 Player    3. Jukebox    4. MP3 Player (MP 3)    5. Apple    6. (Mac)    7. (Macintosh)    8. Gigabyte    9. 10GB    10. 10 GB   

Apple 40 GB 3rd Generation iPod M9245LL/A
by Apple Computer
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $699.99
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Features

• More than 8 hour battery life on a 3 hour charge (1-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
• Features redesigned and backlit navigation; includes dock, wired remote control, earbud headphones, carrying case, and AC adapter
• 40 GB model holds up to 10,000 songs; supports MP3, AAC, WAV, MP3 VBR, Audible (6), and AIFF formats
• Mac and Windows compatible; FireWire and USB 2.0 interface for fastest digital transfer available
• Included docking station makes charging and synching easy

Reviews (155)

Mobile Jukebox and more
It's great having my entire cd collection (over 550) in one tiny place. Now I'm listening to music I own some of which I hadn't listened to in years.

I was really excited when I got my iPod. From the packaging, to the device itself, the design is outstanding. Very easy to use. Sound quality is very good. Can be used as a back up hard drive too. Software is a no brainer to use.

I also faced the problem of tracks skipping but all I had to do was delete affected tracks/albums and recopy and they were fine.

Was able to get lots of useful advice from other people's reviews, e.g. how to ensure long battery life (try not to let the battery run out completely) and how to copy music files back to your pc which quite a number of people are unaware can be done (change your folder options to show hidden files). I do it all the time.

So why not 5 stars? It's not perfect. Battery life could be better, and it does scratch rather easily. Oh, did I mention the earphones? Not too good I'm afraid, and very painful on the ears, when worn for a bit. Thank God I had some good Sony headphones. Also, the fact that it does not support the much smaller WMA files which take up much less space than mp3s. I've got about 7300 tracks on my iPod, and only about 4gb space left.

Still a cool device that never fails to turn heads.

Not for long distance runners!!!
Talk about frustration!! What I thought was a really great break through, turned out to be a total nightmare.After 25 minutes the Ipod would either completely stop working all together or just skip repeatedly then stop. I found out that it was designed to "catch up" after 25 minutes but it wouldnt even start again most of the time, just freeze up and be completely worthless.Returning it was a even bigger nightmare because no one was able to test it out and see that it would malfunction....I guess if you work for Apple stores you dont run. I had to pay a restocking fee to get rid of this nightmare. NEVER will I purchase another item from Apple.I love my Nomad Muvo that I bought, and couldnt be happier.

junk
Your better off with a Nomad. I tried 2 ipods and they will only synch with one PC. So if you want to transfer mp3 from pcto another forget this thing. ... Read more

Asin: B0000CEOYI
Sales Rank: 7854
Subjects:  1. Portable Audio    2. MP3 MP 3 Player    3. Jukebox    4. MP3 Player (MP 3)    5. Apple    6. (Mac)    7. (Macintosh)    8. Gigabyte    9. 10GB    10. 10 GB   

Video AV340 with Dvr 100 MODULEMPEG4 Video & MP3 Play/rec 40GB
by Archos, Inc.
Average Customer Review:
Electronics (16 June, 2003)
list price: $549.95
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Features

• Enjoy your entire collection of videos, photos, music and data on a device that fits in the palm of your hand
• Store up to 80 hours of your favorite movies in near DVD quality and view them on the high resolution 3.8" color LCD or on a TV
• Record directly from VCR, DVD or camcorder or from TV thru VCR or DVD connection
• Store up to 600 hours of MP3 music
• Store up 400,000 digital photos

Reviews (19)

All wrong
Listen to this, I am an old amazon customer, I send the request for buying the product and a week later the company sends me an email telling me that the product is out of stock and they dont sell it anymore!!! Bad for you Amazon for still showing it in your place!!!

A versatile tool for the electronic age
I've had mine now for about six months.I never read the instructions have had no problems getting it to do what I want. I have around 100 CD's stored on it for listening to music with headphones or by plugging into a stereo or a stereo TV.I also have my own movies from my camcorder on it for easy sharing.Lately, I've figured out how to rip DVDs and store them on the unit for watching on the road or by plugging into a television.The quality is quite impressive.It took some time to learn how to convert DVDs into a useable format, but it is quite satisfying, now that I can do it.Don't ask me how, figure it out yourself; it's part of the fun.

Not Everything Can be Perfect (apart from me)!
Im a kid so i had to save for ages to buy the light of my life, my archos av340!I'd read looooads of reviews on the thing and it all seemed fab!
Getting music on to it is a piece of cake, and so is movies, providing you are doing it via your tv- I am still clueless as to how to use all that software to digitally convert your dvds.???????
Movie quality is really really good- all my mates are really chuffed- and the sound is perfect. Mp3 player is fantastic too- dont go wasting your money on a common, mere ipod!! everyone has one of those! stand out from the crowd and impress those people who havent heard of an mp4 player! (really good to flash about at school! every one gets jealous!!!)
My one and only complaint about it is the battery. 8 hours????!!!! i do not think so!!!!! im lucky to get an hour out of mine!!! reaally peeving when you are watching a good movie, eg.(lord of the rings)
Enjoy!!! i am!!!!!!!!
... Read more

Asin: B0000A3KY4
Sales Rank: 25305
Subjects:  1. Portable Audio    2. MP3 MP 3 Player    3. Jukebox    4. MP3 Player (MP 3)    5. Gigabyte    6. 10GB    7. 10 GB   

How To Do Everything with Your iPOD
by Osborne/McGraw-Hill
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (24 March, 2003)
list price: $24.99
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Reviews (6)

Great guide with cool tricks and haacks
I really liked this book. Ita has lots of cool trick and hacks that I hadn't really heard of. Writing was good, but the best part was learning some cool new ways to use my favorite toy. If you want to get them most out of your ipod this is the best book out there.

I picked up info and tips from this book
Although this book was written in 2003 and is more targeted to the beginner, it does offer some things of value:

- a review of third-party products available
- tips on ensuring good music quality
- other tips and tricks you're unlikely to find in Apple's documentation

After spending several hundred dollars on your iPod, I think it's reasonable to spend 3% or 4% of the purchase price to ensure that you're using it optimally.

I don't regret buying this book.

90 pages of information in a 250 page package
Another editorial decision to make a book longer than the subject needs so the book can cost more. Extra 160 pages is uninformed and unqualified speculation about telecommunications and copyright laws, and feeble attempts at humor. Why do people who aren't funny in real life think they are funny in print?

Every second or third sentence refers to "your ipod", as in "your ipod" this, and "your ipod" that, and "your ipod" the other thing. Annoying and weird. Could of used some editing and recasting of sentences. ... Read more

Isbn: 0072227001
Sales Rank: 333438
Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Computer Bks - Other Applications    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer programs    5. Computers    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Hardware - Peripherals    8. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    9. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    10. Microcomputer Sound    11. Miscellaneous Software    12. Music    13. Portable computers    14. iPod (Digital music player)   

MP3 for Dummies
by For Dummies
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 May, 2001)
list price: $24.99
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Reviews (6)

MP3 to WAV
I could not figure out from this book how to convert mp3 files to wav files in spite of what it says on page 170.

Great Book with Lots of Info!
This is a comprehensive book encompassing not just the basics of MP3 both other useful information as well.The book is for all levels knowledge; from novice digital music lovers to musicians.

Although the author only briefly describes the theory behind sound and digital sound recording, he does a great job of explaining all the digital audio compression terms and other technical buzzwords such as ripping, encoding, Codecs, MIDI, WAV files, WinAmp as well as other terms. After discussing just what an MP3 is and how to use it, the author shows you how to turn you PC into a MP3 based digital work station.

Going beyond just describing MP3s, the author also shows you how to set up your home stereo system to play MP3s off of the computer or off of a CD that you just made.He also shows you how to play MP3 files off of the web or how to web cast your music play list.The final chapters are for musicians with some excellent real life stories from several musicians.The author even includes brief discussion on how musician can record, mix, master, distribute and promote their work.All in all a good and comprehensive read that is not too technical (it is a "dummies" book).

Excellent!
The Dummies Guides can be a mixed bag, but this one is very clear and informative. I especially liked the chapters on recording one's own MP3 files, something that some of the other books don't cover in as muchdetail. Great intro, with enough 'meat' to keep you going for quite alittle while. ... Read more

Isbn: 076450858X
Sales Rank: 100227
Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer programs    4. Digital Audio Technology    5. Genres & Styles - Electronic    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Internet - General    9. MP3    10. MP3 (Audio coding standard)    11. MP3 players    12. Microcomputer Sound    13. Music    14. Technology    15. Audio processing: music & sound effects    16. Computers / Internet / General    17. Internet   

How to Do Everything With MP3 and Digital Music
by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (26 November, 2001)
list price: $24.99 -- our price: $17.49
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (1)

Really fun and informative
I bought one these guys' other books about the Palm, and was glad to see the same format for an MP3 book. They tell you everything about burning, ripping, players, software, Web radio stations, and even legal stuff about MP3. They do these hilarious point/counterpoint arguements like they did in the Palm book -- very funny, guys! Oh and the reason I bought this book is there's stuff for bands and musicians about getting your stuff distributed on the net and making money from it. Rip the cover off, though, cuz that girl is WEIRD-LOOKING! ... Read more

Isbn: 0072194138
Sales Rank: 36326
Subjects:  1. Business Software - General    2. Computer Bks - General Information    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Data processing    6. Genres & Styles - Electronic    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Internet    9. MP3 (Audio coding standard)    10. MP3 players    11. Microcomputer Sound    12. Music    13. Music (General)    14. Reference - General    15. Computers / Business Software / General   

Buzz Your MP3
by Pigeonhole Press
Average Customer Review:
Digital (11 November, 2001)
list price: $8.95 -- our price: $8.95
(price subject to change: see help)
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Features

• Download: PDF

Reviews (24)

Worth getting-- especially for the brainstorming chapter!!
If you get this book and only read the chapter on brainstorming, it will be worth it.You may think you've done everything you can possibly do to get the word out about your mp3/music, but you're nowhere close, I promise.This book will help you to think about your approach to the music business and get you in a different mindset.

As a promoter
I have been promoting a few musicians as part of artist "street teams", and this book was able to let me shine!

The ideas are perfect for ANYONE in ANY PART of promotion to use.While I understand the book would me geared towards musicians, this is a great read for anyone that wants to help out a struggling musician, or make a career out of promoting them.

This should be a must read for all new artists.The book is laid out simple enough for anyone to read, but goes way beyond the basics to give you an overall understanding of the industry.

Great buy, especially for the price!

Poorly Edited and Nothing New
It looks like the publisher has a whole series of "Buzz Your..." titles, and it looks like minimal effort was put into customizing the content of this book for the promotion of digital music.Although there's a bit of general commonsense advice, this book is really just an ad for the buzzyour.com website.

It's so poorly edited there are spelling errors, despite the authors admonition to spell-check every document you produce while promoting your product.There are even contradictory statements within one page!E.g., on the top of p. 22 he states "Fliers work, and they're economical."Later on the same page, he says, "...pass out free tapes or CDs... This works better than flyers, which most people will throw away or ignore."(Yes, he spelled it both "flier" and "flyer".)

Save your $9 and find another book. ... Read more

Asin: B00005U4UB
Sales Rank: 340229
Subjects:  1.  Angela Adair-Hoy    2.  Angela Hoy    3.  Booklocker.com    4.  Clegg    5.  Doug Clegg    6.  M.J. Rose    7.  Macolm Gladwell    8.  Rose    9. Business & Economics    10. Composition & Creative Writing - General    11. Language Arts & Disciplines    12. Marketing - General    13. Publishing    14. Seth    15. Seth Godin   

MP3 Underground: The Inside Guide to MP3 Music, Napster, RealJukebox, MusicMatch, and Hidden Internet Songs (With CD-ROM)
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (30 August, 2000)
list price: $24.99 -- our price: $16.49
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (5)

This book is SERIOUSLY outdated!!!
I think back in 2000 or 2001 this book WOULD have been relevant.But for today, it's useless.Actually, the first chapter on "What is MP3 Internet Audio" is still relevant.But the rest of the book is totally outdated.Even the web site associated with the book has been shut down.And in the book, the web site is referred to often for further research, as information was left out of the book because they had the luxury, at one time, of having a web site.Moreover, this book is about a Napster that predated the big change BEFORE it was a pay site.Once you realize how outdated the information is, you have to doubt all of it. I also bought a book called, "Burning Down the House," and found it to be FAR more relevant.It was written after the lawsuits associated with illegal downloading began.

If this book, MP3 Underground, was updated, it could be a good book.But in this day and age, with technology changing as fast as it is, in reality, books on this subject need to come out every year.

Everything you ever wanted to know about MP3s
Awesome book-- still relevant for anyone in the movie or entertainment business...or anyone who owns an iPod--this is full of information about such topics as: Napster, downloading programs, playing and storing big name music and making money with your own music while you get a full collection of tunes. How do you download MP3's-- from the simple to the complex. A great find-- at any price-- let alone what you can get it for on Amazon.com

MP3 Underground
I purchased the MP3 Underground book at a Wal-Mart store for a great price. I have never understood much about MP3, until I purchased this book. It gives, especially for newbies, a semi-technical explanation of the "does" and "don'ts" in the "seedy underworld" of the MP3. The book "reads" very easily, even for a newbie. The book appears to have literary content, but it is excellent for technical explanations. The nice part of this book, which appears to be unintentional, is the many freebies. For instance, on pages 138 and 142, supported by pictures, are good technical explanations for the many whistles and bells on the MusicMatch Jukebox. Not even Microsoft or Dell gives a newbie this kind of illustrated technical explanations. This is a must have book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0789723018
Sales Rank: 376645
Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer programs    3. Data processing    4. General    5. Genres & Styles - Electronic    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Internet    9. MP3 (Audio coding standard)    10. Microcomputer Sound    11. Music    12. Music (Specific Aspects)    13. Computers / Internet / General   

MP3: The Definitive Guide
by O'Reilly
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (15 May, 2000)
list price: $29.95
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Reviews (9)

IT HAS A VERY REASONABLE PRICE
"MP3: The Definitive Guide" comes at a reasonable price. It is a good text, which provides a complete coverage of MP3 using four major platforms: Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and BeOS.
Users, particularly those who understood the basic mechanics of MP3, will benefit from the near-limitless information jam-packed in this 400-paged text. Right from the scratch, this book took care of every aspect of: obtaining, recording, and optimizing MP3 files using either commercial or open source methods, or both.
Whether you are having a hard time evaluating playbacks or burning CDs, this book will reveal a lot to you. It also has sections that were dedicated to equipment testing, control and co-ordination, as well as file sharing with enthusiasts on the Internet. The main blemish I found on this book is that most MP3 novices may find some chapters difficult. The author, Scot Hacker, assumed that his audience are already familiar with the MP3 basics.

Not Definitive, barely even edited.
I bought this book with the hopes that it would give me some detailed insight into how mp3 works, instead it spends most of its pages talking about the differences between encoders and how to use them, as well as a detailed description of how to click on the play button in winamp.

The chapter on the insides of mp3 was what I was really looking for, and this book is, as other reviwers have noted, not really for programmers. Most of the "Mp3" books out there are for "How to go get music off the internet and play it", and I was really hoping that this one would be different. Nope, it wasn't. It did offer a bit of insight (which was available from many other sources) into the workings, but not much.

The language in this book is pretty bad, it feels like they rushed this to market - some of the sentences feature misconjugated verbs, and improper uses of the past perfect tense. While this is only moderately annoying, it really detracts from the usability of the book.

Overall, I'd say that my hopes have been shattered, and what has been generated here is just another book on how to use mp3, not anything different, other than the Oriley name.

Great Book-- Technical and Readable
For the price -- high technical density and readability.

The reference section was also very good.

I used the book as a general overview of mp3 issues for testing an mp3 player. I've got five other books on mp3 and the specs -- this is the first reference I pick up. ... Read more

Isbn: 1565926617
Sales Rank: 213848
Subjects:  1. Acoustics & Sound    2. Computer Books: Internet General    3. Computer programs    4. Digital Audio Technology    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    6. Internet    7. MP3 (Audio coding standard)    8. MP3 players    9. Microcomputer Sound    10. Music    11. Technology    12. Audio processing: music & sound effects    13. Other software packages   

No Depression
by No Depression
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
list price: $18.00 -- our price: $31.95
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

The ideal No Depression reader believes that Johnny Cash and Jeff Tweedy are both gods and for similar reasons: they respect tradition enough to rebel against it. The same can be said for the magazine that covers them with a similar restless energy. Started in the mid-'90s as a vehicle to cover alt-country upstarts, No Depression has since broadened its range to include all kinds of roots music, including folk, blues, bluegrass, indie rock, and even the occasional classic-rock icon (but only when former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant is singing Bob Dylan and Bukka White covers). It's fitting that the name of the magazine comes from a 1990 Uncle Tupelo album title, which in turn was borrowed from a Carter Family song lyric from the '30s, because No Depression is interested in music that draws on a rich rural history but is now played and enjoyed by urban hipsters as well as roots traditionalists. Although the writing and design tend to be as utilitarian as a pair of denim overalls, each issue is jammed full of reviews (of CDs, concerts, movies, and books), short profiles of regional musicians, and lengthy features devoted to major artists (recent subjects have included Guy Clark, Dolly Parton, Linda Thompson, and Rhett Miller). If you prefer your country music shrink-wrapped by Nashville, look elsewhere. However, if you think Austin, Texas, is the music world's mecca, No Depression is probably for you. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

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Reviews (4)

Bush won. Kerry lost. This is the reality,
The good....
This is a decent little magazine that fills a need for folks like myself who love Americana music and they do a decent job of covering the multitude of styles that fall under that umbrella. It's cool when I see a review of some obscure artist's CD that I already have in my collection. Plus they do a good job of covering regional music scene.

The writing and editing are okay. Plus I love looking at the display ads from bands and record labels I've never heard of. Very cool.

The bad....
An annoying habit of injecting politics into the most inappropriate places. When I read an article about Steve Earle I expect to encounter politics that I may not agree with. This is fine. When I read a review of British band Grand Drive's latest CD I don't expect the review to begin with gratuitious America bashing. A writer bemoaning the fact that Ray Charles got short shrifted publicity-wise because his death was overshadowed by Ronald Reagan's passing was just...well, bizarre.

They should keep the politics to a mininum and only when it is central to the theme of the piece.

I probably won't renew my subscription.

they need a new editor
great bands, great music, wordy writers, lazy editors, busy & difficult to read layout.

Read, Read, Read, and Listen
This magazine was founded to follow the alt-country music, a label it follows with the tag "(whatever that is)."Here's a hint--if you don't know what alt-country music is, this magazine isn't for you.

Alt-country is music based on the rural traditions of the 1930's and 1940's, interpreted primarily by urban-dwelling musicians, addressing itself to modern concerns.This sounds like a broad umbrella, and it is.No Depression magazine has had to cast its net wider and wider over the last few years.A recent issue ran obituaries for Johnny Cash, Floyd Tillman, and Warren Zevon on adjacent pages.

Because the music this magazine focuses on tends to have a cult following and little radio airplay, you can be sure of discovering something between these covers you haven't heard before.Simply opening the magazine is a learning experience.Page after page of album reviews are often followed by readable, throrough-going feature articles, concert reviews, DVD listings, and more.Even the ads are mostly well-constructed and informative.

This is an easy magazine to read.The writing is crisp and unpretentious, and the structural design mimics the willfully primitive rural art of the Great Depression.You can read a lot very quickly and not feel like you've skimmed past the real meaning.

If you can have more than two alt-country or Americana albums in your CD collection, this magazine is for you.You'll stay ahead of the trends, you'll know the best raw music being made, and you'll always know what you're looking for when you go to the record store.And what's more: you'll hang onto back issues, because they're so completely worth rereading.There's no higher praise for a culture magazine than that. ... Read more

Asin: B00006KQC3
Subjects:  1. Literature Of Music    2. Entertainment    3. Music   

Vibe
by Miller Publishing
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
list price: $32.90 -- our price: $9.95
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Slicker and more uptown than competitors The Source and XXL, Vibe covers hip-hop culture in its many forms. The primary focus, of course, is music, but urban fashion also receives lavish treatment, and each issue contains a least a dash of movies, technology, sports, and politics. Celebrities tend to dominate its well-photographed and well-designed pages, but there's also room for more substantive fare (such as a touching report on "chickenheads"--rap-world groupies--who deserve better than they get from their often-abusive lovers). Covering a culture that is frequently misogynistic and homophobic, Vibe is both women- and gay-friendly, and surprisingly broad in its interpretation of who's cool enough for hip-hop: Elton John (for his Grammy duet with Eminem), maverick senator Jim Jeffords, and Seattle Mariners baseball star Ichiro Suzuki. --Keith Moerer ... Read more

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Reviews (22)

You can't beat the price
For the price Vibe is okay, but it lost it's sizzle somewhere during the last five years.I look forward to Vibe Vixen, perhaps it will stirup my interests again.True, there are a lot of ads now, but the articles are interesting.What I miss about the magazine is that it seems like they never "break" any news anymore.Perhaps it's the Internet's fault, but I remember a time when the details of an artists Vibe interview really created a buzz (like in 99 when Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes balked to Vibe her personal feelings about the "Fan Mail" album), but now everything is just pretty mediorcre with this magazine. It's also totally predictable.When someone they consider "hot" has a product coming out you know they will be on the cover, and when I saw Pharrell and Gwen Stefani on the cover I thought that was a bit of a stretch.It's still a good magazine but I find I enjoy Blender and Sister 2 Sister much better, but for the price I will continue to support this magazine.

VIBE has it going...
I'd been a long-time fan to VIBE since they been out. I 'member I first lay eyes on em by checking the covers on 'em but not reading by 'em. y'know. They such knockouts. Yeah they definitely keepin' it real no matter what. I believe they'll be around more and more since them magazines u read all the time like ESSENCE, EBONY and JET. I still have love for them also. But to say VIBE doesn't suck. I'd never been a subscriber since last year and I definitely enjoy it to this day. I actually read the XXL and Source magazine most often now. Same w/ Upscale, Campus Life, just to name others. I luv they magazine to death man, knahmsayin. Ya'll keep it rocked y'heard. Nobody's bringin' the hype on ya fellaz. Keep it UP!!!

Not The Same
Where are the critiques? The articles lack any critical substance. Whoever is hot at the moment will get their behind kissed. It doesn't matter that the album is usually not worth all the hype, VIBE will go along with the flow. On top of that, there are more ADs now than ever before. Even articles that could have been decent are cut down to a page or so for the sake of saving advertising space. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7TE
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music    3. Literature Of Music   

Guitar World
by Future Network USA
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list price: $59.88 -- our price: $19.95
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Reviews (14)

The same songs tabbed over and over again
I've read this magazine since I first picked up a guitar in 1989.Since then, it's had its ups and downs, as it tends to follow the latest trends.In 1989 the focus was hair metal; in 1992 it was thrash.It 1995 it was in a slump of four chord songs and songs that appeared in previous issues.I believe "Crazy Train", "Walk", "Free Bird" and "Crossroads" have probably each appeared about a dozen times since 1990. My subscription ran out in the late 90's, but I keep an eye out for it on the news stands.It's currently in another slump, one where the tabs are typically either nu-metal, garage rock like The Vines, or the aforementioned reprints.However, all is not lost; there are still good columns, although the interviews aren't that great anymore.And I think that there was an At The Gates song in there not too long ago.
The bottom line is, buy it from the news stands when you see songs that you like in it.That way you can choose the best from the competition (which tends to tab the same songs at the same time, even the classic rock ones).

i love both guitar one and guitar world
i love both guitar one and guitar world, but i like guitar one a Tiny bit more. But i love both magazines

Good gone Bad
I was a gung-ho Guitar World reader from about '96-'01...my subscription ran out sometime in '03... but the quality of the publication had so seriously fallen, I didn't care to spend the money on it any longer.Guitar World has become SO mainstream that it's pretty difficult to put up with.I havn't felt that the interviews were good for a long time.It doesn't seem the interviewERS are musicians.Not much in there is for musicians anymore (just like Rolling Stone).There are tabs in there, but they generally aren't written the way the artist plays the song... I still have all of my old issues, and refer to them often, but as for the new ones...buy 'em on the stand when they've got something interesting. ... Read more

Asin: B000060MH0
Sales Rank: 129
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music    3. Electronics & Audio    4. Musical Instruments   

URB Magazine
by URB Magazine
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RELIGIOUS WRITINGS
I have been reading this magazine since it was on black and white news print...when I was a teenager from San Diego making the drive to LA everyweekend. I am now 29 and live in ITALY and still read it...need I say more?

Tomorrow Music
You hear it in your favorite chic bar.

You hear it seeping from the computer science/music major's dorm room.

You hear it in those Mitsibishi car commercials.

URB features the music of tomorrow today. Forget the charts (and the herd). Get URB and XLR8R and uncover some real sonic treasures.

REAL HIP-HOP!!!
This magazine is the real deal Holyfield!They tell you somethings you can't find anywhere else.They'll tell you about up and coming artists and underground artists that are still hungry and at the top of their game, not about these commercial cats that lost love for the art. ... Read more

Asin: B00006AMTC
Sales Rank: 1180
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music   

Rolling Stone
by Wenner Publishing
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Editorial Review

Founder and publisher Jann S. Wenner's brainchild remains the standard by which rock & roll magazines are measured, though even its most fervent boosters would concede there've been some growing pains for RS as it's strived to remain relevant through the decades. The erstwhile baby-boomer bible mixes fleshy covers of today's alluring celebs with coverage of graying rockers from the magazine's heyday. In addition to celebrity interviews, stalwart features such as CD reviews and Random Notes (the mag's long-running gossip section) provide familiar reading for older readers, as does the publication's superior political and cultural coverage. But the bulk of Rolling Stone's features are aimed at the younger pop-culture set. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

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Corporate magazines still suck
Rolling Stone hasn't been a credible music journal for at least 15 years, and that's being extremely kind.Rather they are a marketing outlet for the corporate sponsors of whatever music is being pushed at the moment.That's of course when they deign to write about music at all.There are far too many politically oriented articles from an upper middle class armchair liberal point of view to catagorize Rolling Stone as strictly a music magazine.And let's not mention the extremely annoying fashion layouts.RS is more of a lifestyle journal that panders to white and mostly liberal middle class tastes and culture.I don't care about the political bent of the magazine so much as I care about the pop garbage that Rolling Stone writes about.They almost without exception shill for the flavor of the month rather than write any responsible criticism.Occasionally the articles are informative, but for the most part Rolling Stone is an irrelevant device to generate advertising dollars.

You get what you pay for
Isn't it amazing that the cost of a Rolling Stone subscription is barely enough to cover the cost of postage?The magazine is mostly advertisements, and the rest of it isn't worth reading.I grew up on Rolling Stone, but have realized that if I want a decent music review about music I care about, I'll go to pitchforkmedia.com.Even SPIN is better than this crap.

RS: "Music Experts" who don't know CRAP about music.
Anyone who would consider putting a list of the 100 Greatest Artists ever without Pink Floyd, Queen, or Metallica has no knowledge of music whatsoever.

Also who the hell would put Kurt Cobain and Jack White on a list of the 100 greatest guitarists ever above Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads? Also not to mention that they didn't even include Slash or Malmsteem on the list.

This magazine makes me sick to the stomach. Basically all they do is praise artists who have good lyrics but crappy music, like Bob Dylan. They also need to get over their constant worship of U2, because even when they put out those 2 awful albums 'Zooropa' and 'Pop', they did nothing but praise them for their over-produced experimental crap.

And what can we say about their devotion towards 'The White Stripes' and 'The Strokes' and hail them as the BEST NEW THING, while we've been waiting for years for these people to make albums worth their praise. Yet, Rolling Stone rather ignores great new artists like Muse, Franz Ferdinand, and Keane.

I know you guys are probably potheads, but perhaps you should consider putting the hash pipe to the side and think about what you write because it's hurting the REAL ARTISTS. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7SJ
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music   

Alternative Press Magazine
by Alternative Press Magazine, Inc.
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list price: $47.40 -- our price: $12.00
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Reviews (31)

do not subscribe to magazines through amazon.
I subscribed on august 27th. My magazine did not show up for six months! I emailed them to ask what the hell. Six months, come on. I was refunded to dollars. I finally recieved my first issue. Its been more than a month since then and i have yet to recieve my second. When people i know who subscribed from ap, have gotten their magazines. This is absurd, i'm cancelling my order.

sort of alternative press
Yes, I do read Alternative Press, or parts of it anyway. To their credit they do cover some great alternative bands and their new "unsigned band of the month" feature is pretty cool, but sadly the cover stories are usually misguided pieces about the likes of Good Charlotte or Yellowcard. Their bizarre marriage of punk/indie and uber-mainstream pop-punk make for a painful experience. The new "Big Takeover" issue speaks volumes of the diversity of their readership: Good Charlotte was in the top 5 for both the "Artist that I wish would Die" and "Artist with the Most Integrity" categories.

In short AP consistently makes me hate them by covering some of the crappiest, least alternative bands out their, but they draw me back in by putting the words "motion", "city", and "soundtrack" together on a regular basis.

Try a different magazine.
I used to really like "Alternative Press", but lately I have been incredibly irritated by it. A lot of the magazine has turned into fashion tips for how to be more hardcore. The magazine tries to have "shock value", I think, but being increasingly geared to younger people with gross taste in music, it's not shocking, its annoying.

Also, every month, the magazine has some column where they basically trash classic bands, like ELO and such. I find this ridicuous, considering the kind of junk they put in their magazine, and this particular column really irks me.

However, I do listen to some of the bands which they feature in their magazine, and I like to read the CD reviews and lists of CDs to be released. This does not save the magazine from being awful, though.

So, whatever your taste in music is, this magazine will most likely annoy you. Spare yourself the headache. ... Read more

Asin: B000060MHK
Sales Rank: 287
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Music