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:: Frequently Asked Questions ::

:: Is it safe to buy through your website?

Yes. Transactions are handled by PayPal, the world's #1 online payment service. Over 56 million people in 45 countries worldwide use PayPal. All major credit cards are accepted. PayPal uses the most powerful privacy systems available to hold your credit card information confidentially. It's much safer than using your credit card in person, by mail, or by phone.

:: I don't have a PayPal account nor do I want to signup for one to make a purchase from you.

PayPal now allows for anyone to make a purchase using their credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover) or bank account without having a PayPal account. Simply follow the on-screen instructions for paying without a PayPal account. While you can make a purchase without an account, we do suggest signing up for a PayPal account. As stated before, over 50 million users trust PayPal for their everyday transactions. Even larger e-retailers, such as Buy.com and Dell now accept payments via PayPal.

:: Do you collect personal information?

Absolutely not! No. We have no interest in such information and we hate spam as much as you do. As the payment is done using PayPal, we don't collect or even have access to any info about your accounting. The only thing we keep is your email to inform you about future releases, free downloads or other special offers. If you have a problem with us keeping your email address, please let us know and we will remove your from our mailinglist.

:: What currencies are accepted?

Prices listed are in Euro, UK Pound Sterling and U.S. Dollars, but PayPal also accepts the following currencies: Canadian Dollar, Yen, Australian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar, Swiss Franc, Hong Kong Dollar, Singapore Dollar, Swedish Krona, Danish Krone, Polish Zloty, Norwegian Krone, Hungarian Forint, Czech Koruna.

:: Can I listen before I buy?

Of course. Next to each track there is pre-listen button. You can quickly listen to a sample of the track.

:: Am I previewing the final mp3?

No! The preview button plays a low-quality (and thus quick-loading) version of the final mp3. The sound quality of the final downloaded mp3 version is far better and to most people indistinguishable from a CD. If you prefer the wav files instead, you´ll preview a mp3 sample of the final wav file. This final wav file is the same that is used to cut the cd. Note that the mp3 sample for preview is the same for both mp3 and wav releases.

:: What format does the downloadable music come in?

Our mp3 files are encoded using LAME at CBR-320 kbs. The sound quality is far superior than many other online music stores. Feel free to judge for yourself. Or, if you prefer, for a little more money, you can buy the original wav files for full quality.

:: How soon can I begin downloading my songs?

After you place your order you will immediately receive an e-mail with links to download the songs.

:: How many times can I download the songs I purchase?

You are allowed to download the songs two times. All download links expire in 24 hours. If a computer crash or other unexpected event prevents you from downloading the songs, please contact us so we can help you.

:: Is artwork included?

Yes. When you purchase an album, a link to download the album cover will be provided. No artwork is provided with individual songs.

:: How long are the links valid?

Again, each link is valid for 24 hours and can be used twice for a complete download. When the file is completely opened by a(n external) program, this will be seen as a complete download, so please prevent this from happening. Instead please make sure to download the file to your hard disk first manually. Progressing downloads will not be interrupted, even when the link expires. If your link expired before you had a chance to use it, please get in touch so we can help you.

:: Can I burn my songs to a CD?

Yes. All songs are in standard mp3 (or wav) format with no copy protection, so you can copy, transfer, and burn them as many times as you'd like, on as many playback systems as you'd like. Of course, that doesn't mean you can e-mail them to your friends or put them on a file sharing network. The music is authorized for your own personal, noncommercial use.

:: What happens if I accidentally delete a song from my hard drive?

Once you have successfully downloaded a track from the Speaker Blower Records Shop, the transaction is completed and the file becomes your responsibility. Make sure you backup your purchases! There are no restrictions on the number of copies you make for your own use. Again, the music is authorized for your own personal, noncommercial use, only.

:: I did not receive the download links email, who do I contact?

The most common problem when people say they did receive their PayPal receipt, but not the download links email, is that a SPAM filter has filtered out the email. Most "free" email accounts, such as Hotmail, are nowadays using a SPAM filter and these are often rather aggressive. Most of the time when an email is classified as SPAM it is put in a (temporary) folder, where you can still retrieve it. Before you attempt to contact us, please make sure you have checked any such SPAM folder (often accessible via webmail). The email with download links is sent out immediately after the PayPal payment has been confirmed. This should happen within a minute and definitely not take longer than 1 hour. If it did not arrive within the hour and you have not been able to retrieve it from a SPAM folder, please get in touch with us, so we can help you out, by clicking here.

:: I have a Hotmail account and did not receive the download links email, what went wrong?

Please check the previous topic.

:: I accidentally paid twice. What do I do now?

Please get in touch with us, so we can refund the double payment.

:: My download was interrupted and when I click on the link in my email nothing happens?

This appears to be a Internet Explorer bug (possibly in connection with Outlook/Outlook Express). What you need to do is close all Internet Explorer windows, including any Outlook/Outlook Express windows. If you then re-open Outlook/Outlook Express, the links in the email should work again.

:: I downloaded a song, but I can't find where the file was downloaded.

If you are using Firefox, Netscape, or Safari files are downloaded to your desktop by default. You should find the file there. Internet Explorer users are prompted to save the file initially, so the file can be found in the location you specified. If you have iTunes or another similar program, you may also find that the MP3 was automatically opened and added to your music library.

:: Are Mac users also able to download music from your store?

We're Mac users ourselves, so we work hard to make sure it works especially well for Mac users. Technically anyone with a computer and web browser can use our service. The website has been built with compliant XHTML code as well as PHP, so as long as you have a modern web browser you should not experience any problems. Should you find yourself running into problems, try using Firefox. It's a great, free browser that is usually faster than Internet Explorer.

:: How do I download the files using Apple's OS X?

Aparently Apple's OS X uses a download manager and iTunes to play MP3 files. Please prevent these programs from automatically opening the MP3 download. When the file is completely opened, this will be seen as a complete download and you only have one download attempt left. Simply download the MP3 file manually and once it's stored on your harddisk, you can open it with any program that supports MP3's, such as iTunes. Note: when downloading the file, the Apple software apparently sometimes changes the file's extension (this could have something to do with long filenames). Please read the next topic for more info on this problem, which some people have experienced.

:: I have a Mac and my song download shows up as an Excell document?

Aparently when the MP3 file is downloaded on some Mac's, the file extension is "changed". This could be related to long filenames (apparently Apple software doesn't handle that very well). If you experience this problem, please make sure you give the song download a .mp3 extension (or .wav if you downloaded wav files) and then you should be able to open the file using any available MP3-player software.

:: Still didn´t answer your question?

If so, please contact us.

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