iTunes rocks...er sucks...well it depends

I have a love-hate relationship with iTunes, which makes my log-ins to the iTunes store infrequent, at best.

First, every time I open up iTunes it prompts me to download a new version. If I do that it inevitably takes at least half an hour to install the new software. And then since we have multiple users on our laptop with different iTunes accounts, we have to reinstall the software for EVERY user.

My most recent visit to the store was fueled by two weeks of listening to country music on the radio. There were a few songs I liked and wanted to listen to without the hassle of radio commercials and the fuzz that comes on all the stations in San Benito County.

On one hand I really like that with iTunes I was able to get the latest Taylor Swift album, the soundtrack to "Bandslam," and a few other random songs. How else but with iTunes would a playlist exist that includes Kanye West, Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Wilco, Darius Rucker and Kenny Chesney?

But the thing I now hate about iTunes is that Apple has implemented its new price structure so that all songs are no longer 99 cents each. Of course, most of the songs I wanted to buy over the weekend were $1.29. In fact, that is the main reason I ended up buying the entire Taylor Swift album "Fearless." I wanted five of the songs and at $1.29 each, I figured I might as well pay $11.99 for the entire album. I guess that's what the record companies probably want.

At any rate, I am enjoying my random mix in my recently added playlist. Most of the Swift songs I didn't know are growing on me, and I am really enjoying the "Bandslam" album.


It will still probably be awhile before I log in again since at 99 cents I was choosy about what I'd buy, so I will have to pick my downloads even more carefully now.