Replay Music

It’s hard to imagine a company could make more hay from the same basic functionality–hooking into the Windows audio/video output–than Appian Technologies. The company markets a cool six programs, including Replay Music, that leverage this ability. Replay Music records anything you play from within Windows, including Internet radio and streaming music from online stores, its raison d’etre. The program is extremely easy to use and does a very nice job of recording, even splitting the output into separate MP3s with tags, and recording songs that are already playing from the beginning.

Unlike programs RarmaRadio or the free Screamer Radio, Replay Music doesn’t play Internet radio or audio files itself; you must do this with another program such as iTunes or Windows Media Player. Also, the program is very pricey for a one-trick pony. The better value is the company’s AV Capture suite, which captures video as well as audio and includes playback and some editing features. Once, I regularly used the company’s Replay AV to capture Internet video but have switched to the equally effective and free Video DownloadHelper add-in for Firefox.

Replay Music works well, especially for the online music stores. Remembering that recording streaming audio is an iffy proposition legally due to copyright restrictions–as well as the agreements you give a nod to when signing up for a service–Replay Music is worth checking out.

Note: This link takes you to the vendor’s site, where you can download the latest version of the software.

–Jon L. Jacobi