Editor's Note:
I originally wrote an article on the Ubuntu One Music Store that was really critical, noting many problems that I had with the service. I worked on it for a while, and even went so far as hitting the “publish” button- only to discover minutes later that most of the problems I mentioned were fixed since the last time I used it. I went back and re-wrote the majority of this blog post to reflect the updated, improved service.
Review
I really want to love the Ubuntu One Music Store. On paper, it has everything that a good iTunes store alternative needs to have. In terms of UI, it is simplistic and pleasing to the eye. Apple would even be impressed with how polished it is. It’s also nice to have a service built into the music players themselves. The quality of music isn’t the problem, either, as it usually is higher quality than other services with 320kbps DRM-free MP3 files. Nor is the problem the price, as most music is around $.99 per song and $10 per album. Nay, the problems lie in terms of user experience.
My first complaint is that there are no widgets showing what music is popular. I like to find new music by checking the charts. Browsing for music is painful in terms of finding music you didn’t know about beforehand. Even the “New” tab is rather useless, as most of the music featured is indie music that no one has ever heard of. Honestly, if you’re not hunting for a specific song or album, it’s hard to discover music. Buying music is simple, with the basket feature and multiple ways to pay including PayPal and entering your credit card information, but the downloading experience is dismal at best. There are many bugs/issues with downloading music (I’ve tested in both Banshee and Rhythmbox). It’s supposed to begin downloading to your predetermined music directory, much in the way that iTunes does. In all my experiences, the downloading never happened. Instead, I had to go online to my Ubuntu One files and download them one at a time.
There are a few other important features to mention: first, the music is placed into your Ubuntu One online storage. And best of all, music purchased from the Ubuntu One Music Store doesn’t count against your storage limit. It’s very easy to keep your purchased music backed up and in the cloud. Another important feature is the “basket,” which works like a traditional shopping cart. I prefer putting all my musical eggs in one basket and checking out at once, a feature that iTunes took away in favor of a one-click method.
My feelings are mixed. I love the store, I love the service, and I love the music. I also like knowing that I’m helping to support the development of Ubuntu, as part of the profits go to Canonical. Profits also go to help save the Iberian Lynx from extinction. The sad truth is, though, that most users would probably have a better experience with Amazon MP3. Of course, I will revisit the store in a future review to note their progress (or lack thereof).
Where to find the Ubuntu One Music Store:
Built-in with all Ubuntu installs via Rhythmbox
Inside of Banshee using an extension (click here for the directions to add the extension)
And for more information, visit the official site.