I have recently purchased a Microsoft Zune and since then have really enjoyed using it. It has also taught me something very important, something that should have been obvious, yet is never bothered me before.

DRM is bad and possibly even evil.

I currently have (and use) an iPhone and iPod Shuffle on a regular basis, and I have used and purchased music from iTunes since it first launched, I was also always more than happy and content using it and did not care about the included DRM, because I am a Mac user, and it was never an issue. I had been an Mac user before iTunes and its likely that I will continue to be a Mac user long into the future. Of course I also never thought I would buy (and enjoy a Zune) so switching back to a PC at some time is a possibility.

However, moving back to the DRM, it never seemed to matter or bother me because I had always just assumed that I would never use a portable player besides an iPod.

But now I have the Zune and the Zune Card, which I have downloaded quite a bit of music for and use my Zune Card daily when listening to music while I work and also use the Zune in my car. However I still want to purchase some music because my wife still uses her iPod and I still use an iPod Shuffle to run with and I still also use my iPhone as a media/music player.

This means DRM or the lack of DRM is now very important to me. I do not want to be able to share it with everyone, but just so I can actually use it, (in a manner that I consider fair-use) on both my Apple product and my Zune.

Enter the Amazon MP3 store…

I first used Amazon MP3 yesterday, they have a nice download tool for the Mac as well as Windows and Linux. It enables one-click album purchases and even adds them to iTunes automatically, assuming you are on a Mac or Windows machine. Which solves my issue, I still can use these tracks with iTunes and my Apple products and now I can also drag the MP3’s to a CD or portable drive and move them over to my PC for use with my Zune.

The DRM-free tracks are fairly priced and they come in MP3 format at 256kbps. I already had an Amazon account for book purchases which means that the MP3 purchases are tied to the same account. So the initial download was quick and easy. The downloads are also fast.

Its safe to say that at this time my future music purchases will be via the Amazon MP3 store, its also safe to say that I will also continue to use (and enjoy) my Zune as well as iPod Shuffle and iPhone. If you have not already I would highly suggest giving the Amazon MP3 store a try.

[Amazon MP3 Store]

Trent Reznor has once again offered up some free music, this time its a five track sampler for their upcoming “Lights In The Sky - Over North America 2008 Tour.”

The little sample, as per the post on NIN, was to allow the fans to get familiar with his new band lineup, which includes Robin Finck, Alessandro Cortini, Josh Freese and Justin Meldal-Johnson.

I had been disappointed that they still have no Tampa (or Florida for that matter) date listed, but after reading the latest statement from Trent, it makes me wish even more that they will still add one. He is claiming that this new band is “unquestionably the strongest lineup I’ve EVER had.” Having been fortunate to see them a few times in the past, this just makes me want to get a ticket even more.

Oh well, enjoy the free MP3’s, I know I will.

[NIN]