Is there a service to email songs?

January 6, 2006 7:06 AM

I am sometimes impulsive, and I will want to email a song to someone. Maybe it will be from a computer that doesn't have the song on it, or maybe the sound file would be too large. Is there an online service where one could purchase, say for $.99, a song or a link to a song for email to another?
posted by swlabr to media & arts (7 comments total)

on the itunes music store you can "gift purchase" songs or albums
posted by ShawnString at 7:14 AM on January 6, 2006

iTunes will allow you to buy a gift cert that can be emailed, printed out, or sent via US Mail.
posted by unixrat at 7:15 AM on January 6, 2006

yousendit.com allows you to send a link to a song you've uploaded. it's free. but you've got to have the song on your computer.
posted by Manhasset at 7:16 AM on January 6, 2006

Could you give more details? You're not clear on where you're based, what platform you use, how much effort you are willing to go to, or how much effort you expect the recipient to go to.

If you're happy for both you and the recipient to have to install a special application, then iTunes and Napster will let you direct particular tracks towards friends, except that the songs will be encoded with anti-copying security. With iTunes you'll have to pay but with Napster both parties could do it for free as part of Napster's free trial.

Rhapsody works similarly to Napster except that it now has a web front end - so both you and your recipient might be able to get away without installing anything. You'll only be able to stream tracks via the web interface, though Rhapsody also has an application which allows secure downloads.

Finally, thinking laterally, there are various services which will let you point your friends towards tracks which are on your home computer. So you could be at work, say, but still let a friend listen to a track from your home machine. Orb would be the best example of this and has a special "send to friend" function, though you could also try Grouper... and if you were willing to cheat around with usernames and passwords then MP3Tunes might just do.
posted by skylar at 7:25 AM on January 6, 2006

Yahoo Unlimited (also known as Launchcast: http://launch.yahoo.com) allows you to do exactly that: Buy a song for .99 and email the link to your friend.
posted by thanotopsis at 9:59 AM on January 6, 2006

Rhapsody also allows 25 free "plays" per month with no credit card required. Just search for the song and click the "Share" link to send off an email or get a IM'able (copy and pasteable) URL.
posted by xiojason at 10:41 AM on January 6, 2006

yousendit allows you to upload it - send it to yourself, then you can send the link for download from any computer.

only lasts a few days I think, but a good service.

and free
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:08 PM on January 6, 2006