Conrad'll probably argue that MP3 is a nightmarish proprietary patent encumbered format, and ogg or flac is the only way to go. (Both of which seem to be pencilled in for QuickTime 6.6 and by extension, iTunes)

Real have generally been a nightmare of dodgy sneakily installing frequently crashing and preference trashing software, so lose out a fair bit on the "good guys" front. & the whole point of Real Player is to stop you recording stuff, or listening to it away from your computer.

Windows Media player has its "license it cheaply, comoditise the hardware, and then up the rates when the competition's dead" tactics, the arbitrary and unpredictable usage rights for tracks, the license agreement that says that they have the right to install anything they like on my machine without asking first, and last but not least, the fact that I have to use Windows to buy or listen to the music on a computer.

Sony are finally deigning to let their players use MP3s, but until now have been fighting a vicious and doomed format war on behalf of mini-disc.

So, switch iTunes to using MP3 compression at the quality you want, copy from the CDs you own, play it on your iPod, or whatever MP3 player you like. Bring them with you to your new PC, recover them from your broken old one, share them out on the local network.

If you have to use the iTunes music store to get rubbish quality tracks there and then, go ahead. Are EU & UK customers being ripped off? EU customers not so much, once you do the normal parlour trick of subtracting VAT and converting prices back when the dollar was 10% stronger. UK customers, more expensive than EU, less than other UK stores.

Disclaimer: there are 6 macs (4 active) and 3 iPods in this flat of 2 people, and I've been an unabashed mac cultist since around 1988, when dad's office got a Mac Plus. Apple lending all of first year maths one didn't hurt either.