Zune PASS review from users

By BoDEAN
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Grand Master

BoDEAN

Posted
Posted

Never used Zune Pass. Wondering if some users out there could give their pros/cons with it.

Right now I just have a bunch of albums on my pc, that I sync to my zune, and listen to on the road. When I am at home, I usualy pick a few songs from my albums, and listen to them. What advantage would Zune PASS have for me? Would I be able to stream random songs through winamp/foobar with the zunepass? Does it download a specified amount of songs that fit your listening style to your zune, so you always have new music on your ZUNE HD for road trips?

Thanks.

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https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/830826-zune-pass-review-from-users/
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Alan-

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The Zune Pass in my mind is great, I can go download unlimited amounts of songs and only pay $15 a month. Just that fact alone has let me find so many various songs and artists, since you can go search a song or artist, and instead of listening to a 30 sec clip you get the full song to stream and decide if you want to download or not. You do get a "picks" which helps you find other music although to be honest I never really found it that helpful. Speeds are great (sometimes gotta tweak a setting in Internet Explorer, but otherwise it's fine).

I believe if you subscribe to a channel it will download the new music each x number of days for you. It's pretty nifty, and you can get customish channels as well for just your listening. I don't believe you can stream songs through winamp or foobar, although I've had some luck when I tried out Songbird, but you'll want the Zune Marketplace up.

Pros:

-Can download unlimited music

-You get album art and full ID3 tags with music

-Channels (auto-update music in categories you like)

-10 free song credits per month (Although I have found this to be kinda screwy as they feel like they still have some DRM, but it allows you to keep them after your subscription is up and it lets you get a song that otherwise you'd have to buy)

-Fast marketplace

-Social To find other users with your tastes (then you can check out their music!)

Cons:

-Videos not included

-DRM'd music (expected but still you will wish it wasn't DRM'd)

-Some music you must buy (can use credits) or it requires the full album to be downloaded.

Overall I love it, and am so willing to pay that $15 a month.

Grand Master

spenser.d

Posted
Posted

^^^The songs you get with your credits are completely DRM free.

I think the Zune Pass is great also. You can stream anything anytime and download it all. Even cooler with the new Zune Software is the Smart DJ which, with the Zune Pass is pretty much a sort of Pandora, without any restrictions. You can Smart DJ an artist and it'll create a playlist for you and you can discover music that way.

When you link your Zune to your PC with a Zune Pass, you can access any of the songs on the marketplace right from your Zune and download or stream them directly to your Zune

I'd say try it for yourself for a month and see if you like it. Probably wouldn't be the worst $15 you spent even if you don't continue it :yes:

-Spenser

  • 2 weeks later...
Grand Master

BoDEAN

Posted
  • Author
Posted

If I download channels with the software....and save as playlist, can I move those to my ZUNE HD? Or will that cut into the 10 free downloads per month? I don't want to be charged for moving songs from the software to the zune hd. How does this work exactly?

Grand Master

Shadrack

Posted
Posted

I liked Zune Pass when I had my Zune 80GB (gave it to my sister after I got my iPhone).

One thing I really liked is having people on my friends list and automatically downloading the music they were listening to. Some people I knew, some people who had similar music tastes. Whenever the Zune would sync it would update their "favorites" and their "most recently played." If I didn't already have the song, Zune would download off the marketplace if I subscribed to Zune Pass.

Some techno artists I listen to that I think are mostly from Europe (Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, etc.) were not available through Zune Pass (had to pay extra).

The keep 10 tracks a month is OK, but they are still DRM'd songs. I can't play any of these tracks on my iPhone so they are pretty much useless at this point unless I get another Zune. I suppose I could burn to a CD and re-rip them which I may end up doing for some.

iTMS doesn't have DRM tracks anymore (I don't think), but no subscription service. With subscription services I was more experimental with what I listened to, which is something I miss. I still buy 2-3 albums off iTMS a month, so a subscription based service would be much better on my pocket book (for me).

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted
  Shadrack said:
The keep 10 tracks a month is OK, but they are still DRM'd songs. I can't play any of these tracks on my iPhone so they are pretty much useless at this point unless I get another Zune. I suppose I could burn to a CD and re-rip them which I may end up doing for some.

iTMS doesn't have DRM tracks anymore (I don't think), but no subscription service. With subscription services I was more experimental with what I listened to, which is something I miss. I still buy 2-3 albums off iTMS a month, so a subscription based service would be much better on my pocket book (for me).

Both Zune store and iTMS provide both DRM and non DRM music. for a rental service like Zune pass of course it uses DRM. but a lot of music can be gotten DRM free, just like on iTMS, wich also still has DRM'ed music.

Grand Master

#Michael

Posted
Posted
  Shadrack said:
I liked Zune Pass when I had my Zune 80GB (gave it to my sister after I got my iPhone).

One thing I really liked is having people on my friends list and automatically downloading the music they were listening to. Some people I knew, some people who had similar music tastes. Whenever the Zune would sync it would update their "favorites" and their "most recently played." If I didn't already have the song, Zune would download off the marketplace if I subscribed to Zune Pass.

Some techno artists I listen to that I think are mostly from Europe (Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, etc.) were not available through Zune Pass (had to pay extra).

The keep 10 tracks a month is OK, but they are still DRM'd songs. I can't play any of these tracks on my iPhone so they are pretty much useless at this point unless I get another Zune. I suppose I could burn to a CD and re-rip them which I may end up doing for some.

iTMS doesn't have DRM tracks anymore (I don't think), but no subscription service. With subscription services I was more experimental with what I listened to, which is something I miss. I still buy 2-3 albums off iTMS a month, so a subscription based service would be much better on my pocket book (for me).

I would like to correct one point. The ten tracks you choose each month are NOT in drm format. Which ever format you have the Zune software set to download in (mp3 or wma) it will download them in the unprotected format. They are yours to keep and to transfer to whatever and where ever you choose.

Veteran

Chsoriano

Posted
Posted (edited)
  MrEggsalad said:
-10 free song credits per month (Although I have found this to be kinda screwy as they feel like they still have some DRM, but it allows you to keep them after your subscription is up and it lets you get a song that otherwise you'd have to buy)

See below.

  spenser.d said:
^^^The songs you get with your credits are completely DRM free.

Songs purchased with credits can be DRM tracks OR unprotected MP3 tracks. When you go to the marketplace, if you see a song you know you want to purchase with a credit, look and see if it says "MP3" next to the track or the album. If it says MP3, then it is unprotected. Likewise, if the album does not have the small MP3 logo overlay or if the track does not show MP3 next to it, then it is a DRM track.

If I was at home, I would take a screenshot to show you all.

  BoDEAN said:
If I download channels with the software....and save as playlist, can I move those to my ZUNE HD? Or will that cut into the 10 free downloads per month? I don't want to be charged for moving songs from the software to the zune hd. How does this work exactly?

Anything you download with the Zune pass, that includes channels, tracks, albums, and playlists containing Zune Pass subscription downloads... can be transferred to up to 3 Zunes at no charge

post-39384-1255640197_thumb.jpg

post-39384-1255641834.jpg

Edited by Chsoriano
Veteran

Chsoriano

Posted
Posted
  Omen1393 said:
Can you put DRM tracks on a CD with the Zune pass? And if I read what Chsoriano correctly, you can get MP3 tracks without any DRM with the Zune pass? Or is it just that all of the songs that you buy individually don't have the MP3 tag have DRM?

With a Zune pass, there are three possible types of files you can download from the Zune Marketplace:

1. music downloaded with the Zune pass (subscription content) (ONLY sync rights)

- this will be all the music you obtain by just clicking the "Download" button (this appears instead of the usual "Buy" button if you are a Zune Pass subscriber)

2. music purchased using a song credit

- can be unprotected MP3s as I indicated in my first post (sync AND burn rights)

- can be protected WMAs (sync AND burn rights)

- this music is downloaded by right-clicking a song and choosing "Use Song Credit", this can be done from the marketplace, or in your collection. For instance, if you previously downloaded an album (using the Zune Pass subscritpion) and you decide that you would like to keep a song for good, right-click it and choose "Use Song Credit". As long as the track has the MP3 logo when the purchase confirmation window pops up, it will be an unprotected file.

3. music purchased using Microsoft points

- can be unprotected MP3s as I indicated in my first post (sync AND burn rights)

- can be protected WMAs (sync AND burn rights)

I don't understand your question about the albums. Albums AND tracks that show MP3 are unprotected if you purchase using a song credit or microsoft points. From what I have seen, if the Album has an MP3 overlay, all songs in that album can also be purchased (with credits or points) without DRM.

Experienced

Omen1393

Posted
Posted

Ok, thanks for the answer. So basically Zune pass songs just let you sync without the ability to download a non-DRM version or to convert it and burn it to a CD, however you get 10 songs a month that you can choose to be DRM free. The songs with Microsoft points are for the most part in MP3 format and unprotected.

Veteran

Chsoriano

Posted
Posted
  Omen1393 said:
Ok, thanks for the answer. So basically Zune pass songs just let you sync without the ability to download a non-DRM version or to convert it and burn it to a CD, however you get 10 songs a month that you can choose to be DRM free. The songs with Microsoft points are for the most part in MP3 format and unprotected.

Well, you still have the ability to download the non-DRM tracks but only with song credits or microsoft points. If it's a "subscription" song (i.e., you just downloaded it with a Zune pass), you will lose play/sync rights when you terminate your subscription. All other songs (purchased with a song credit or with points) will retain their play/sync/burn rights even after the subscription ends. I ensure all the songs I purchase with song credits and microsoft points are MP3 tracks so I don't have to worry about DRM.

I've had the Zune pass for about 2 months now and I love it. I can download as many albums/tracks as I want. The songs that I really like, I just check if they have them in MP3 (non-DRM) format then right-click it and click "Use song credit". Like someone else said, the channels and "picks" are okay but really aren't all that useful. I prefer browsing through related artists.

Mentor

winrez

Posted
Posted
  Omen1393 said:
Can you put DRM tracks on a CD with the Zune pass? And if I read what Chsoriano correctly, you can get MP3 tracks without any DRM with the Zune pass? Or is it just that all of the songs that you buy individually don't have the MP3 tag have DRM?

If you buy protected wma songs (with MS Points or your 10 Track Credits) and want to burn it so it can be read in regular cd players you can.

just not the music you basically "rent" with the Zune Pass

They actually recommend you backup by doing this to the protect content because you can only renew you license so many times before calling them to reset it (by backing up to a cd by burning a audio cd and ripping the tracks back to the pc you can remove the drm that is in the songs)

Veteran

Chsoriano

Posted
Posted
  winrez said:
If you buy protected wma songs (with MS Points or your 10 Track Credits) and want to burn it so it can be read in regular cd players you can.

just not the music you basically "rent" with the Zune Pass

They actually recommend you backup by doing this to the protect content because you can only renew you license so many times before calling them to reset it (by backing up to a cd by burning a audio cd and ripping the tracks back to the pc you can remove the drm that is in the songs)

Yes, that's a good suggestion. If you back up the actual files (to another hard drive or as data files) and restore later (new computer, reformat, etc.) the Zune software will have to re-download the license information. This can only be done so many times and once that limit is hit, you can no longer renew the license or download the file again.

  • 3 weeks later...
Enthusiast

thomasfrank09

Posted
Posted

I love my Zune Pass. I pay $15 a month for unlimited downloads, and boy do I use them. After I tweaked IE, the Zune software is very fast and I've found that downloading an entire album is way faster than downloading the same album through a torrent (which I don't do, but I my friends do). What I really like about it is the selection of music. Now if you're looking for really popular stuff you may disappointed (AC/DC has nothing for free download, neither does Led Zepplin), but if you're like me and like obscure stuff you're in for a treat. I've been looking for the album "Light of Day, Day of Darkness" by Green Carnation on streaming sites for a long time and could only ever find it in parts on Youtube. Well, Zune Pass had it! There is so much music to discover. Plus the fact that you get 10 songs a month to keep, which essentially makes it a $5/month pass with 10 $1 songs to boot.

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