Where do you get your music?

When I was in China this summer, I was slightly shocked to find so many people still using Limewire as a means of downloading music. Not shocked that people want to get free stuff, but shocked because I've seen so many problems with files downloaded from Limewire containing viruses or being just plain garbage.

I'm still happily using subscription services for my day to day music consumption and buying tracks the old fashioned way - purchasing the CD. I've been an URGE subscriber since shortly after launch. I like the new Zune subscription service. In both cases, I like being able to sample tons of new music, knowing I'll lose interest fairly quickly. For the stuff I do like, I can buy the CD, rip it using Exact Audio Copy and feel confident that I've got a quality version of the songs I want to keep completely free of DRM. These files work on my iPod, my Zune, and will likely work on any device that supports MP3 into the future (if they cease working, I'll simply re-rip to a new format).

With the launch of the AmazonMP3 store, I'm strongly considering changing my habits, at least for some music. I'll still use subscription services - I like to sample new music. But I might switch from buying CDs to buying downloads. The audio quality of the AmazonMP3 store is comparable to what I can get from Exact Audio Copy. There's no DRM. Often the complete album is cheaper than buying music on a shiny disk. And I don't have to invest my own time in paying attention to ripping files.

I won't buy tracks from iTunes or any of the other stores because I don't want DRM on tracks I plan to keep. And I don't understand why Apple (or record labels) thinks I should pay more for getting files without copy protection. The AmazonMP3 model makes sense.

So how do you get your music? Do you pay for it? Do you rent it? Do you buy it with or without DRM? Are you buying disks or downloads? Inquiring minds want to know...