July 31, 2015

Kim's BDay vacation - 2012Kim's Birthday Vacation - 2015:
Happy Birthday to Kim! Kim celebrated another birthday on the 25th of July. Don't worry Kim, I won't tell anyone how 'old' you are. :-) Besides, you'll always be younger than me. In July of 2015 (July 24 - 28), Kim and I took a little vacation to celebrate Kim's birthday - Happy Birthday Kim! - It was a short three day vacation in Southwestern Colorado.

On Friday (24 Jul, 2015) we drove down to the city of Durango. We took the scenic route along U.S. routes 285 (north/south) and 160 (east/west). The drive took us through the heart of the Rockies in Colorado. It's always a great drive. The scenery is spectacular, and I recommend it over the I-25 corridor any day. We arrived in Durango in the afternoon, checked into our hotel; situated adjacent to the Animas river, and enjoyed the small town bustle of a tourist town in the summertime.

On Saturday, we spent the entire day exploring the Mesa Verde ruins. We did it right - We hired our own guide, and spent an entire day. We met the guide at the park entrance around 10AM, purchased our tickets, and spent the entire day at the park. We drove about, from site to site and did a lot of walking as well. The guide was very informative. He seemed to know everything there was to know about the ruins, the people that created these buildings and the ancient culture which has since vanished. As you can only imagine, I took a lot of pictures. We didn't leave the park until after 1700!

On Sunday, we spent the day visiting two towns: Silverton and Ouray. We've been to these towns before (just last year), but we didn't spend enough time exploring the towns. This time around we spent approximately a half day on each town. We started with Silverton, then drove the short distance (about 15 miles) to Ouray. We spent the day exploring each town. Sampling the fare at various restaurants, checking out the tourist shops (I couldn't stop Kim from shopping), and the historic buildings. We even checked out a couple of museums. Silverton has more to offer in terms of tourism, but Ouray is a more picturesque town.

We drove back to Durango, and stayed another night in the hotel. On Monday we enjoyed a light breakfast before we checked out and started the long drive home (to Aurora). Once again we used Durango as our 'Base-Camp' for a great adventure out west. It's an excellent vacation spot. One of these days we'll need to spend more time in Durango. It's a long drive home (about 6 hours/with a lunch stop), but we had a good time. This time around we weren't rushed. We took our time and enjoyed the experience, as a matter of fact, we even took an extra day (Tuesday the 28th) to relax at home before we went back to work on Wednesday.

As I mentioned earlier, I took a lot of photos (more than 1,000 between the Panasonic point and shoot and my iPhone). It took a while to narrow them down to my favorites. I hope you enjoy the photos I've posted online (see link below). Wow! What a Vacation - Kim and I had another awesome Colorado vacation. Happy Birthday to Kim!
<https://robsworld.org/photos/kimsbday2015/>

Comcast discontinues personal web pagesComcast/Xfinity discontinues personal webpages:
Recently (early July, 2015), I received an email from Comcast/Xfinity. This notification came as an expected announcement. I'm actually surprised that Comcast didn't discontinue this service earlier. According to the email that I received: 'whether you are actively using XFINITY Personal Web Pages or set one up in the past, we want to let you know that we're going to make some changes to this service. As of Oct 8, 2015, the Personal Web Page (feature of XFINITY Internet) service will be discontinued. By October 8, 2015, you should go into your personal web page and save pictures and anything else that you may have put on your personal web page onto your computer. Once the service is discontinued, you will no longer have access to your web pages and your files will be deleted. We value your business and hope that you enjoy all our other XFINITY Internet benefits. Sincerely, Your XFINITY Team'

As I indicated earlier, I'm actually surprised that they didn't shut these personal web pages down earlier. Most other ISPs that offered personal web pages have discontinued this service due to the fact that these personal web pages have become a liability. Comcast/Xfinity doesn't have the time to review or monitor these web pages, and spammers were often abusing this free service in order to host various 'infected' or 'redirected' spamvertisement. The number of personal web pages that were phishing sites was expanding and Comcast/Xfinity was responsible for hosting these web pages.

Rather than spending money to review or monitor these personal web pages, Comcast simply decided to discontinue the service. Their 'business' customers were paying for hosting, but spammers and scammers were abusing this free service. It cost money for Comcast to offer this service (bandwidth, storage, maintenance, help desk) and it was quickly becoming a warren of spammers and scammers. As a result, Comcast discontinued the Personal Web Pages, including FTP access, in October 2015 and removed files toward the end of that month. There was a cutoff of February 2016 to retrieve files.

How does this impact/affect me? It's not a big impact, but I was using the personal web pages to host a 'tollgatecrossing' web page. I took over the webpage in 2012. A resident of my community had been hosting this webpage (using the Xfinity/Comcast PSP service) for some time (since 2007?), and he moved out of the community in 2012. That's when I took over the 'tollgatecrossing' identity on Comcast's residential service. I used the identity for email and continued to host the 'tollgatecrossing' web page (on comcast/xfinity) until the service was shutdown. I used that Comcast/Xfinity page to provide community members with Neighborhood Watch and Community information. Information about our HOA & Metro District as well as Neighborhood Watch information.

In all the time that I hosted that web page (using the Comcast/Xfinity PSP service), I only received one email at the 'tollgatecrossing' email address. If you had a personal web page hosted by Comcast/Xfinity, you will likely find (now that it's 2019), that the webpage was deleted quite some time ago. If you need a personal web page, you'll have to find a different web hosting service.

July 15, 2015

Voila upgrade causes issuesVoila software update makes for trouble:
I'm occasionally vexed by software updates on my computer. Like most of us with computers, my software occasionally needs updating. A new feature, a security patch, a minor improvement. The software on your computer is always changing - Hopefully it's getting better. There's always some hesitancy to update that software. The bigger the update the more chances it might be screwed up. In this case the simple software update resulted in a week of angst and troubleshooting. Unfortunately for me, I really didn't get much help from the developer of the software. It all started on the 1st of July, 2015, when I updated my copy of 'Voila' to version 3.9 (from version 3.8.4).

After updating the software, the application will no longer launch. When I try to launch the software, I get the license agreement splash screen. I click the 'I Agree' button, and that's when I get the error message pop-up. "Network connection error - please connect to the internet to finish the update". I click ok and that's the end of that. Yes I'm connected to the internet. I checked the tubes and they are clear. My email to the developer's 'Help Desk' included numerous other technical details, but they weren't satisfied that I actually had a problem. Their first round of responses consisted of the following helpful remarks:

  • Check to make sure you have an internet connection.
  • Check to make sure the date and time on your computer are set correctly
    • From this comment they may be concerned that I'm trying to 'spoof' a Shareware limitation. Some shareware counts the number of days or uses since it was activated. This type of software stops working after a certain amount of time. One way to defeat this type of limitation is to 'Reset' your systems 'Clock' so that the counter will be confused, allowing you to continue using an application that would otherwise be disabled... Perhaps they think I'm encountering software that's 'Timed Out' on it's number of uses?
  • Wait 24 hours to see if that helps.
  • What type of internet connection do you have?
    • They might suspect that I'm using a VPN, or my network connection is routed through some sort of tunneling protocol where the outbound and inbound packets transit different networks...
  • Check to see if there are any errors in the 'Console'.
  • Quit all other internet connected applications.
    • Now they're just guessing/reaching. Can you guess which applications are silently communicating via internet? How many of our applications (in 2015) are silently communicating with various internet connected servers? I would estimate that at least 50% (by 2015) are talking across the net for various reasons:
      • Checking for software updates
      • Checking/verifying log-in or license information.
      • Retrieving or storing information on a 'Cloud' based server.

Pretty much useless banter and a few general remedial suggestions. I did check the 'Console' - Some of you might wonder what the 'Console' is. Well, fortunately for me, I've been working on computers with Unix/Linux based operating systems since the 80s. The system console is a computer program that accepts commands and displays OS level results in a text based window. On the Mac, it's slightly different than a 'Terminal' window where one might interact directly with the OS. On the Mac, it only displays the inner workings of the OS. It displays commands being executed and the results of those commands. Displaying the content of your OS logs. Most importantly, you can see errors that might not otherwise be presented to the user in a 'pop-up' window. According to my 'Console' the application isn't able to contact 'the Mothership' - Many applications insist on an internet connection, so that they can check to ensure that you're using a properly licensed application. If this software can't connect to the internet, it just won't function.

I have an active, functional internet connection. My cable provider (Comcast) provides a very consistent connection to the internet using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). The connection is routed through my ISP, and all internet is routed to and from my home computer by a locally assigned (by the ISP) IP address. Checking my console did reveal an error message that helped me unravel this mystery: 7/1/15 15:54:02.161 Voila[99428]: NSURLConnection/CFURLConnection HTTP load failed (kCFStreamErrorDomainSSL, -9807) This error was generated as soon as I clicked the 'I agree' banner for the license agreement.

According to some google searches, this error message may be an indication that the SSL certificate on the developer's server is invalid. The server that does the license checking (Referred to as the 'Mother Ship' earlier) has an expired security certificate, and my computer won't connect for fear of a non-secure connection (I would prefer to use secure connections whenever licenses or password details are exchanged). I don't know the URL/web address that the application is trying to contact. If I did, I could navigate there in a web browser and examine the certificate on the server side. I asked if there was some way I could obtain/download the previous version to see if it still worked - They completely ignored that request.

After a day (that was actually quick compared to some developers), they responded. They indicated that they had 'tried fixing the issue' - They wanted me to launch my copy of the application and see if I was still getting the error. Yes. I'm still getting the error, and I can't fully troubleshoot the problem because I'm on vacation, controlling my computer remotely and can't quite do everything I want - Like restart the computer. So I have to wait a couple days before I can try some additional troubleshooting steps.

7/3/15 10:40:29.827 Voila[83368]: NSURLConnection/CFURLConnection HTTP load failed (kCFStreamErrorDomainSSL, -9807)
7/3/15 10:40:33.721 cloudd[454]: NSURLConnection/CFURLConnection HTTP load failed (kCFStreamErrorDomainSSL, -9802)
7/3/15 10:40:34.664 cloudd[454]: NSURLConnection/CFURLConnection HTTP load failed (kCFStreamErrorDomainSSL, -9802)

When I finally get home (Now the 8th of July / After the Big Fat Polish Family Reunion - See below), I find that the developer has Closed my ticket. Nice - Now I'll have to start over or fix the problem on my own. So, I set to work trying to solve the problem myself. I repair the permissions on all my directories and files and restart the computer. After the restart I'm still having the same issues. Voila partially starts. I see a disclaimer/terms banner. I click on the 'Ok/I accept' button and then I get a pop-up that says "Network connection error - please connect to the internet to finish the update". I don't know what was done to 'correct' the problem, but I'm still experiencing the same issue with Voila. Since the 3.9 update, I cannot use the application. Is there an older version that I can try?

Once again they refuse to provide a previous version that I can try. This time they actually acknowledged that I asked... Apparently the ticket gets reopened when I respond to their previous email - That's not exactly intuitive. From their reply, the now want me to turn off 'Little Snitch', and Anti-Virus software of firewalls I might be running. It seems that they're not listening to me at all.

The error message isn't stating that my computer is 'Blocking' the communication with their server. I don't have 'Little Snitch' (connection monitoring/reporting software) installed. I turned off 'Hands Off!' and the Mac OS 10 built in Firewall. Then I launched Voila, and got the same error messages. A pop-up that says "Network connection error - please connect to the internet to finish the update" and the following string in my Console: 7/8/15 16:22:22.275 Voila[88895]: NSURLConnection/CFURLConnection HTTP load failed (kCFStreamErrorDomainSSL, -9807). Everything I see online points to a certificate problem at the server where Voila is trying to go. I don't know the web address that Voila is trying to access (in order to finish the update), so I can't examine the certificate in question. They're convinced that the problem is on my end. Of course they are - Nothing could ever be their fault.

A day later the 'Help Desk' indicates that their development team is working on the issue I've reported. If required, they want to have a screen sharing session so they can look closely into the issue. Maybe my detailed reports, which include relevant error messages aren't enough - Whatever. I get it, I've done my fair share of troubleshooting remotely. I know what it's like trying to solve a problem over the phone. Not to mention the fact that email creates another layer of obfuscation, and then there's the 'Help Desk'. I'm surprised that the development team can actually get any work done when problems are reported.

On the 9th of July, I attempted some additional troubleshooting. First I tried logging in with 'Safe Mode' enabled. I still had the same problems. Then I deleted all the files associated with Voila: com.globaldelight.VLEscService.plist, com.globaldelight.Voila.plist, com.globaldelight.VoilaCapture.plist A folder named U4MRT5KL8R.com.globaldelight.Voila.MovieTrimHelper, containing numerous files. Then I restarted the computer. I'm still getting same error messages. Then I logged into a 'System Administrator' account. That account let me launch the application, but it only got so far. As soon as I tried to 'register' the product (because I'm working with a 'trial' version), it threw up an error message: "Network connection error - Connection to the remote server was lost. Please check your internet connection" Of course I wasn't having any problems viewing webpage. I logged out of the 'System Administrator' account, and logged into my Wife's account. There I was able to launch the application, and register it with no errors what so ever… Great. So the application works for her, but not for me. She almost never logs into this computer, but what the heck. Maybe it's working for me now… Nope. I logged back into my account, launched the application, and still can't get beyond the 'License agreement' banner and 'Please connect to the internet' error message. I even tried copying her copy of the application to my account. That didn't help either. I turned off the firewall, and enabled 'Run Apps From Anywhere' in the security preferences. I still can't launch this application under my own log in. Only if I'm logged in as some one else. I went back and checked the 'System Administrator' account. Now it can launch the application as well - It's just not registered.

Finally, on the 11th of July, I solved my problem with Voila 3.9. I re-downloaded a copy of 3.8.1 using a link that Globaldelight (the company that owns the software) provided when I was having an issue with a previous build on OS 10.10 (back in November of 2014). When I went to download that software, Safari threw up an 'I don't trust the certificate associated with this website' error. I indicated that my system should 'Trust' the certificate despite the fact that the computer was indicating some identity/trust issues with the 'globaldelight' SSL certificate. As soon as I indicated 'trust anyway' to my computer, the software downloaded. That's when I thought, maybe I should try to launch the current version of 3.9 (the one I've been having problems with). I got the 'license and disclaimer' banner, followed immediately by the launch of the application!

This time there was no 'connect to the internet' error. As I had been indicating all along, the problem was related to the globaldelight ssl certificate. Once I marked the certificate as trusted, the application launched with no problems. Note: Prior to this incident (where I marked the SSL certificate as trusted) I didn't have a 'globaldelight' certificate in my keychain, and unlike the browser, the application never presented me with a 'do you want to trust this certificate anyway?' dialog. Since Apple's security protocols didn't trust the certificate, the application simply failed when it attempted to perform an authentication check.

The assistance/troubleshooting provided by the Globaldelight Help Desk wasn't helpful at all. I figured this one out on my own (with very minimal assistance from the 'Help Desk'). I tried to get information from them about the website that the application was trying to connect to (so I could check the SSL certificate), but they didn't/wouldn't/couldn't give me the information. Hopefully their troubleshooting/support efforts will be more effective in the future. I'm just glad that I was able to solve the problem myself, because I really like the software. Maybe my troubleshooting efforts will be useful to them... I see that there are others (in the forums) having the same 'network connection error' issues since Yosemite came out.

Big Fat Polish Family ReunionBig Fat Polish Family Reunion:
Kim and I just got back from the 'Big Fat Polish Family Reunion' - Over the 4th of July weekend (in 2015), Kim and I journeyed to the land of polkas, beer brats, potato salad and big hugs - Pulaski, WI. Kim's uncle Bill & aunt Greta threw a huge (Big - Fat) family reunion party for the Kuchta family. People traveled from all over America to attend this two-day blow-out. Much beer, old-fashioned cocktails, food and love flowed freely on Saturday and Sunday.

Kim and I had a fantastic time with the extended Kuchta family. Thank you to everyone who shared their homes, food and friendship over the last couple of days. We really had a blast and hope that the family tradition will continue with a new generation of hosts. I volunteered to take photos during the family reunion, and it took me a week to sort through the hundreds of photos I took. The amazing thing is, this isn't everyone (Descendents of Alex & Rose Kuchta). There were a lot of people who couldn't make it to the reunion.

I posted the photos on my website in a section where I store all my photos. Unfortunately, all those photos were lost! You can read about that Photo-Gallery disaster on my website. I posted the photos in July of 2015, then in November of 2018, I inadvertently deleted all the photos on the server. Ever since then, I've been working to recreate those galleries. This time I'm using 'Client-Side' software so that I'm not relying on my server for the hosting. It's taking a long time to recreate all the missing photos, and the photos from this reunion is one of the galleries that I need to recreate - The good news is, I've completed that task. The photos from the Big Fat Polish Family Reunion have been recreated and reposted. They're once again available online.

In addition to the gallery I've also posted one group photo from the Kuchta Family reunion. See if you can spot the guy with the crazy blue hair! (Umm, that's me).
<https://robsworld.org/photos/kuchtafamilyreunion2015/index.html>
<http://www.robsworld.org/groupphoto_corrected_reduced.png>
<https://robsworld.org/galleryphotos.html>

Eating out in DenverOut to Eat in Denver:
Occasionally, Kim and I take the opportunity to eat out at one of the fine restaurants in the Denver/Aurora area. They're not always five star places, but we're not that kind of people. During July, Kim and I enjoyed one of our 'Date Nights' at a seafood restaurant. I had a hankerin' for Blue Crabs, and we only know of a few places where those can be had (in the Denver/Aurora area) - The Crawling Crab. We've eaten here before, and the food was great. The Crawling Crab serves seafood in an Asian Cajun style. Sometimes referred to as 'Viet-Cajun', 'Ragin Cajun' or 'Juicy Seafood'. The seafood (and vegetables, like corn or potatoes) is boiled in a bag with spicy Vietnamese seasoning. There are a bunch of Asian Cajun style restaurants in this part of Denver, and the flavors are unmistakable. Vietnamese spices bring the heat of New Orleans style seafood dishes. It's so good, we will definitely be back again. If you haven't sampled this style of cuisine yet, you may want to take a look around. As I write this (in May of 2019), I see that there are at least a dozen or so restaurants serving this style of cuisine in the area, and the number is growing. There are even a few places in Aurora now. The Viet-Cajun and Cajun style is what's on the menu today. Try it for yourself, you won't be disappointed.
<https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/vietnam-cajun-food-mixes-vietnamese-and-southern-us-cultures/4533166.html>
<https://www.coastalliving.com/food/seafood-basics/viet-cajun-crawfish-boil-houston>
<https://www.thecrawlingcrab.us>
<https://theasiancajun.com>

Music CollectionJuly's Jukebox Jamboree:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? For the long story on my music discovery efforts, see my music page. After rdio was shut down (in Dec of 2015 (yes this post was written in the 'future')), I searched for an alternative streaming service, but the only thing that made sense (given price, catalog, service, support and my existing preferences) was Apple Music. I signed up for a 3 month free trial in December of 2015, and I've been a subscriber ever since (I recently (in April of 2019) signed up for the $99/year plan (saved myself ~$20.00)) - Thank you Apple; for not raising your prices (as of Apr, 2019) since the service began (going on 3 years since June of 2015). For now, eMusic is my primary download service (even though it's catalog has shrunken severely - No major labels, and the minor labels seem to be disappearing on a daily basis). Apple Music is my primary music discovery service, but I certainly can't afford to buy my music from the iTunes Music Store, and the other major players - Amazon and Google both think that the outrageous prices that Apple charges are o.k. Really? - $1.29 for a single track!

Artists want you to Hear their music - If you like it, you'll buy it; or maybe you'll buy some concert tickets - That's where bands really make their money. The major labels of the music industry want you to pay for their product. - letting you hear it for free is contrary to their business model. Well, guess what? I won't buy the music if I can't listen to it first, and no one listens to the radio anymore (because of all the advertising, interruptions, lack of new music and lack of information - you can never figure out who/what is being played) The major labels are killing themselves with their restrictive distribution and dissemination policies. If you like new music, you can do a web search to find your favorite artist's web site, a new music web site, or an archive of free music. Free music is available - Legally! Don't believe the propaganda of the major labels - Not all free music is illegal. You can legally download and listen to all sorts of music for free (Have you heard of Pandora, Presto, MySpace, SoundCloud or DashRadio?). I download (purchase) most of my music from a couple of commercial sources (eMusic and iTunes), but I occasionally download tracks (legally) from various websites, newsgroups and blogs in order to satisfy my craving for music. If only I had enough time in the day to listen to all the music that I want!

Here's a listing of some of the music I legally downloaded - and paid for!

eMusic monthly downloads:
Every month I download ~50 tracks from eMusic.com. This month (July of 2015) I downloaded 64 tracks (from eMusic) at the low cost of $23.11. Despite the published standard member cost of $22.99, I only pay a $19.99 monthly fee. This makes the tracks extremely cheap - That's right I didn't actually pay $23.11, that would have been the price if I purchased tracks at the standard member's price (still cheaper than iTunes). If you're on a monthly plan you get a discount over the non-member prices (which average $0.89 per track). When you purchase an entire album you get an additional discount. Plus I get a discount for being on a special plan (as a member) - I've been 'Grandfathered' with additional credits since I'm a long-time loyal member (since 2006). As a subscriber/member, you save plenty over the likes of iTunes, Amazon and Google. I only paid $19.99 for my $23.11 worth of downloads. The price for these tracks came out at ~$0.36 per track - Way less than the cost on iTunes or Amazon. If you bought these tracks on iTunes you might have paid approximately $82.00! An eMusic non-subscriber/non-member would have paid nearly $57.00! - That's approximately 30% less than iTunes, and I saved approximately 70% over the iTunes cost!

* The Powder Blind Dream - Crispy Ambulance: (11 songs) Crispy Ambulance is a band that was recommended by rdio (service discontinued in Dec of 2015). It sounds similar to Joy Division and Magazine. Despite the fact that eMusic rated this album as 2 out of 5, I'm really enjoying the discovery. Unfortunately, you can no longer find Crispy Ambulance recordings on eMusic.
* Oskar and Leni (soundtrack) - Penguin Cafe Orchestra: (10 songs) Penguin Cafe Orchestra is one of my favorite bands. I've been listening to them since the 80s (I have five of their albums). Founded by British composer Simon Jeffes in the 70s. The orchestra plays 'Modern semi-acoustic chamber music'. I enjoy classical music and this band blends classical western sounds with African and Middle Eastern sounds. Here is an album of music composed for the film Oskar and Leni in 1998. While the band dissolved in the mid 90s, this album was assembled (released in 1999) from the soundtrack which accompanied the aforementioned movie. As you can imagine. This artist is no longer available on eMusic. For that matter, I couldn't even find this release on iTunes. I'm glad I bought it when I did.
* Original Punk Classics - The Vibrators: (28 tracks) This release is a 'Best of' compilation. I've been listening to the Vibrators since the early 80s, but only recently did I re-discover them; thanks to MOG (service discontinued (acquired by Beats Electronics) in May of 2014). Amazingly this band is not only still making albums and playing gigs, but they're still available (in limited supply) on eMusic. I've added all the remaining recordings to my 'Save for later' list. Hopefully I can get the recordings before they disappear.
* Sunbathing Animal - Parquet Courts: (14 songs) It's a new discovery. I first discovered this band while listening to MOG (service discontinued (acquired by Beats Electronics) in May of 2014) recommendations. This noise, punk, alternative band is throwing everything its got at the mic. The results are surprisingly fresh. A post-grunge effort that doesn't lose itself in psychedelic loops or meaningless grunting. There's even some moments of blues and poetic lyrics. This asymmetrical swirl of acoustic music rubs me the right way. Too bad they're no longer available on eMusic.
* Dive Bomber - Neil Finn: (Single) A single release from one of my favorite artists. I've been following him since his earliest days with Split Enz, then Crowded House and now as a solo artist. Of course, none of these acts are available on eMusic. The 'Divebomber' track is available on the 'Dizzy Heights' album. Of course most of Neil Finn's work including this track is available on iTunes/the Apple Music store.

Unlike some music outlets, eMusic doesn't have any DRM and they don't insert unique track id's into the ID3 tags. Their terms of service are consumer friendly. eMusic allows you to burn as many CDs as you like (If you like to do that) and copy downloads to an unlimited number of your computers and portable MP3 players (because I still do that - I take my music with me on an iPod). At less than $.50 a track (I'm currently paying $19.99 for $22.99 worth of downloads per month - I'm on a grandfathered plan that new members cannot get) you can't really go wrong. You don't have to be a member/monthly subscriber to access the site or buy music, and the membership prices (per album) are compared to the non-member prices right up front, so you can see how much you save as a monthly member. eMusic offers a really good value for your download dollar. iTunes and Amazon still charge more. eMusic offers more music for your money, and the variable bit rate recordings make for exceptionally high quality recordings. If you still want, demand, need, your own copies of the music - Check out eMusic.

These are some of the items I added to my music collection during this month. Since revamping my music collection back in September of 2005, I've been slowly adding, revising and updating the collection. If you have a comment, question or correction regarding my music collection, please don't hesitate to send me an email. Please keep in mind that my collection isn't for sale, and I'm not interested in giving you any copyrighted materials. I'd rather not go to jail for music piracy. :-)
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_on-demand_streaming_music_services>
<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/07/emusic-lets-the.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/music.html>
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMusic>