Update July 27, 2007: The following is a review of MusicMatch 10. Since this article was published, Yahoo acquired MusicMatch and has renamed the program Yahoo Music Jukebox, currently in version 2.7. You can find Yahoo Music Jukebox, which is a very similar program, at http://music.yahoo.com/jukebox/

For this week’s Freeware Frenzy, I will be reviewing MusicMatch Jukebox 10. I have little experience with this program, even though it came bundled with my Dell MP3 Player.
First Impressions:
Upon installation, the program adds desktop, program list and quick launch icons, without asking. I’m a personalization nut, so this miffed me a bit. When I ran the program the first time, MM asks me for some personal information, name, email, country and then asks you to register.

When you first look at the main window of MM, it is a bit daunting. There are buttons on the left for Library, CD, Now Playing, Copy from/to CD and Portable Device. There are also links to their store and radio stations. In the center is your library and the top is dominated by a playlist window, simple player and a large logo.
Exploring MM:
Adding music to your library is a simple affair. Click Add Tracks, browse to your music folders, I have several, and click add. You have to option to dump in everything at once or pick tracks individually. The program’s supported files include .mp3, .wma, .wav, .pls, .mmo, .cda and .m3u

To play the newly added files, simple double click the file name and that track is added to your current playlist. Double click on the Artist name to add all tracks to the playlist. You can save your playlist as a .pls file for later use. A handy button under the playlist window allows you to burn your playlist straight to disc. With Plus, it even allows you to create and print a CD Insert.
Syncing up with my mp3 player was simple enough. I simply clicked on “Portable Device” and the “Portable Device Manager” opened. I attached my player and could not add tracks!?. Apparently my Dell was not natively supported. I did easily obtain a plug-in from a popup window to MM’s website. Then all went well.
Further exploring the main window I clicked on “Auto DJ”. This is an interesting addition, which allows me to list some of my favorite artists, and then MM builds its own mix of songs from similar artists that it thinks I would enjoy. Since I like classic rock, I put Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and The Who into my list and built a mix. MM spit out a list of 25 songs from artists including Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent and others. Not bad I thought. Unfortunately, I have to be a member to listen to those tracks full length. Music Match On Demand costs $59.88 per year. Not bad, but certainly too much, especially for a freeware app.
I also took some time to browse their online music store. Again, not free. Albums are $9.99 and tracks are $.99 each. Selection is good however, with all of the big names readily available.
Lastly, I went into the Radio button. Finally something free. However, the radio stations are free only when listened to in Low Quality. When I tried CD Quality, I was told I get 1 free hour, and then I’d have to subscribe. Personally, the Low Quality was fine to me, but there is a noticeable difference. This miffed me a bit because Winamp supports 128bit or higher radio for free. There are dozens of stations to choose from, from all genres and decades. You can even create your own station, where MM plays the artists you specify and, if you choose, similar artists.
MM includes other various options, including a file converter for MP3 to Wav and back again. MM’s “Super Tagging” is only available in the Plus version, but looks to be helpful if you needed to organize a large group of files. Customizing the “look” of MM is tough; all you can do is choose Full View or Small Player. You can however download skins. The Help Tutorials are well done, with simple explanations on how to create playlists, use MM, customize MM, etc.
In all, MusicMatch 10 does a fine job as a Jukebox, which is all the free version is meant to do. Judging it from that standpoint, I’d say it gets a 7/10. I am a bit biased towards Winamp, which, as a player, does most of what MM does, just in a tidier package. The thing that nagged me about MM is its constant reminders that upgrading to Plus is what I should have done in the first place. Sure, the On Demand features and Music Store are great, but if I wanted to pay for those things I would have, but I just wanted the Free Jukebox.

So in the end, if you want a standalone player, Winamp is my choice. If you want a fully customizable all-in-one music solution, give Musicmatch a look. It’s certainly what they would prefer.