CdNow and Amazon + Real audio!!

[phecky]

Just checked out www.cdnow.com after the merger with Amazon.com. Boy am I dissapointed! After the last several years of using cdnow for the majority of my music buying I now have to suffer thru the use of Real Media's formatted audio clips! There use to be a choice of Windows media or Real. The Win media played nicely on Music Match but not so with Real and now my "updated" WMP won't even support the junk! I hope it's a fluke and It was the fact I was trying to review a title of lesser popularity. I sure don't want to download and install the Real Player spyware crap just to hear some 30 sec. sound clips.
Are there good alternatives to CdNow for buying music online that also allow sampling?

[osprey4]

I hear you. It's really too bad. I'd do without Realthingamajig if I could. And the clips Amazon allows you to listen to are of poor quality anyway.