Moral Compromises

I don't like buying iTunes music. I've never done it. For the simple reason that if I'm going to spend money buying music, I want to be able to control the types of devices that I play that music on. For the vast majority of tracks offered on iTunes, you don't have that option.

But I've been trying to get some tracks into my music library which don't seem to be available any other way (and some which just don't seem to be available at all). It's probably fairly standard stuff in the swing dance subculture, but not in general culture:

Hock That Rock
Jamie Wood

Solid As A Rock
Ella Fitzgerald

Today's the Day I'm Glad I'm Not Dead
My Baby Just Cares For Me
Indigo Swing

Lavender Coffin
Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop
Lionel Hampton

At any rate, Apple recently negotiated with a major music label to offer high-quality no-restrictions versions of tracks for a $0.29 premium, apparently with upgrade-rights for people who've bought tracks in the past. At least, that's what's supposed to happen when the format actually becomes available.

So now I'm considering buying the tracks.

And I just noticed that Coinstar will swap my coins out for free if I take an iTunes gift card instead of cash. Hmmm... Those coins aren't doing anything for me just sitting there... I wonder if I'm anywhere near $50 in coins. Then I could go buy 50 songs for $45 at Costco. And my credit union has a free coin machine at a branch not too far away from a Costco...

My life is complicated.