Located on charter.net, Charter Music is a premium online subscription service available to Charter Internet customers. Subscribe today for just $9.99 a month to enjoy over 3 million songs, streaming music, unlimited free downloads to your PC or compatible MP3 player, and permanent downloads for just 99 cents per track. Access your Charter Music library from any computer through charter.net and enjoy easy navigation and organization of music files with our feature-rich Music Player.
Charter Music requires the following:
- Charter Internet connection with modem
- IBM-compatible personal computer running Microsoft Windows XP or newer operating system
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
- 128 MB memory
- Pentium class processor
- 50 MB of hard disk space
- Optimized for 800 x 600 resolution or higher monitor with 256 or more colors
- Sound card and speakers or headphones
As an optional support path, our Charter Internet Technical Support Staff offers some Charter Music support.
Installing Charter Music Software
Navigating Within Charter Music
Charter Music FAQs
Installing Charter Music Software
- Browse to charter.net. Near the top right of the page, there is a section labeled Login. Enter your full Charter e-mail username (example: joe@charter.net) and password and click on Login.
If you have forgotten your password, click on Forgot Password? to be redirected to our contact page.
- Click on the link labeled Charter Music under “Premium Services” in the main directory on the left of the screen. You may see one of the following:
- If you do not meet the system requirements to access Charter Music, you will receive the following message: “Sorry, you must be running Windows 98se or better and have at least Internet Explorer version 5.5 to view this page. Please Visit Microsoft's Internet Explorer Page to upgrade.”
- If you received the message, please upgrade your operating system or browser.
- If you did not receive the message, please continue to next step 4.
- Depending on your browser and firewall settings, you may see one of two screens.
- If you receive a popup window requesting you to install “Performer”, please continue to step 5.
- If a page appears displaying “Step 1: Get your PC ready”, please skip to step 9.
- “Performer” from MusicNet, Inc. is a required application to be installed before Charter Music can be used. Click Yes after being prompted to install the Performer application.If you are having difficulties installing Charter Music try lowering the settings on your firewall (if you are running a firewall) and/or lower the Internet Explorer security settings.
- Click Next to continue with the installation process.
- Once a screen appears stating that you are ready to install Charter Music, click Next. The installation of the software should begin. Once the installation has completed the window should automatically close.
- At this point, you will be redirected to one of two pages:
- If a page displays “Step 1: Get your PC ready”, please continue to step 9.
- If you were directed to the Charter Music site, please skip to step 10.
- Your PC will need some additional software before you can access the Charter Music site. Under “Here’s what your computer needs to be able to use the MusicNet Performer software” the required software will be listed one at a time. Click on the link for the item listed and follow the install instructions.
- Once you install the required software, please restart your PC and return to step 1.
Congratulations, you are now on the Charter Music Site’s main page! Charter Music is a subscription music service that provides access to a huge online music library, enabling you to search for and play songs on your PC or compatible MP3 player.
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Navigating within Charter Music
Briefly described are main navigational areas of Charter Music:
- The Search Area – You can search for songs and artists by using the Search Area. You can search by the name of the artist, the song title, album name or even genre of music.
- Advanced search – To refine your search, click on the Advanced Search button under Tools in the bottom right corner
- All Genres – This allows a quick search of music by genre
- More Music – Displays top albums, top artists and browsing by artists A-Z
- Playlists – Displays music mixes based on themed playlists
- Radio – Streaming radio based on individual artists or themes
- Video – Streaming videos and exclusives
- Media Player – This is the media player that will be used to listen to streamed versions of the songs from the website
While using the Charter Music site there are a few key points to observe:
- After performing a search for a song, you should see a screen that will give song information and download options under INFO. From the Info list, you can choose to do any of the following:
- Listen to a streamed version of the song with the media player
- Download the song via subscription download
- Purchase and download the song
- Whether streamed, purchased or subscription, all Charter Music downloads use Microsoft Windows Media Audio format encoded at 128kbps. There are two types of downloadable songs available on the site; Subscription based and regular paid downloads.
- A “subscription download” can be played online or offline via the Windows Media Player for as long as the subscription is active. However, the computer containing the media files must periodically update the licenses using the Internet. (Licenses must be renewed every 30 days.) Subscription downloads cannot be burned to CD, and cannot currently be transferred to portable devices.
- “Permanent downloads” can be burned to CD for playback through your home, car or portable CD players. They can also be transferred to supported portable music players. Permanent downloads are not included in your subscription service; they must be purchased separately using a credit card. The average price per download is $0.99 per song.
- You can access your individual settings and preferences by clicking on “My Account” link just below the volume setting in the Charter Music browser application.
For additional information on the Charter Music Site including downloading, playing, searching for songs and more, please feel free to review our Frequently Asked Questions section by clicking on the Question Mark icon.
You will be presented with a wealth of information that should be able to answer any questions you may have about this site.
Not finding what you’re looking for? Contact Us for assistance.
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Charter Music FAQs
Q: Is Charter Music Compatible with Mac OS?
In the current version; no. However, we realize the Mac audience is a wide and important one, and we will be diligently exploring ways to support this user base in the future.
Q: How big is the Charter Music installation file?
The installation file is 10.5MB.
Q: What software do I need to use the Charter Music service?
The Charter Music service relies on an Active X plug-in to stream music via your Internet Explorer browser. Go to charter.net to begin installation. Log in with your head of household (parent) account and click on Charter Music in the Premium Services area to sign-up for the service, download the software and begin installation. You will be guided through the process from there. You also need a Macromedia Flash Plug-In and Windows Media Player 10. Note that Windows Media Player 10 is only available for use with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. If you have Windows XP, Charter Communications recommends using Windows Media Player 10. Windows Media Player 11 is also compatible with Microsoft Windows XP, but is only available for Microsoft Windows Vista; Windows Media Player 10 is not available for Microsoft Windows Vista.
Q: My bill has changed from $7.99 to $9.99, and my Charter Music service looks different. What happened?
Charter launched a new music service on February 20, 2008, that allows customers to access their music library on charter.net from any computer. The new service replaces the two music services (Charter Music and Charter Music-To-Go) that Charter previously offered and provides customers with better technology and enhanced features. The new service is now simply called Charter Music.
An e-mail and a letter were sent to Charter Music customers on January 23rd, informing them of the change.
Q: How do I deactivate Rhapsody?
It is best for the customer to uninstall the Rhapsody application from their computer before installing Charter Music. There have been some cases of support issues when Rhapsody is installed in addition to the Charter Music player. Rhapsody should be uninstalled using the Add/Remove Software function.
Q: I currently use Rhapsody. Can I move my songs from Rhapsody over to Charter Music?
No. Rhapsody uses a different DRM technology for their music service than Charter Music. Users must re-download the songs from the Charter Music product.
Q: Can I load the songs I currently have saved on my computer into Charter Music?
Yes. All MP3 and WMA music files a customer has on their PC will get loaded into the Charter player if a user elects to search their computer for music files. This is an option they are given when they launch the product.
Q: Is Charter Music compatible with my iPod?
No. iPod is a proprietary product that is only compatible with iTunes. See the previous section in this document on the difference between iTunes and Charter Music.
Q: Is Charter Music compatible with Zune?
No. Zune is a proprietary product that is only compatible with its own services.
Q: Can I transfer subscription downloads to my MP3 player?
Yes, you can transfer subscription downloads to compatible portable music players. If you wish to transfer a song to a supported portable music player, you can either purchase the song as a permanent download, which you can also burn to CDs, or just download the song and transfer it to a compatible player. Permanent and subscription downloads can only be transferred to portable media players that support the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. Some portable players, including the iPod, do not support WMA.For a list of Players that do support the WMA format you can go to the following web site: http://www.playsforsure.com/FindPortableDevices.aspx.
Q: What Mp3 players are compatible?
Music you add as part of your subscription to Charter Music can only be transferred to subscription-compatible devices. This means that you must have one of the devices listed at http://www.playsforsure.com/FindPortableDevices.aspx if you want to take the subscription music to go. You may also play most other types of music on these players, including burnable downloads, music you imported yourself, etc. But to play portable music, you must have one of the players listed at http://www.playsforsure.com/FindPortableDevices.aspx. If you are buying a new device, be sure it is subscription-compatible. If you already have a device, check http://www.playsforsure.com/FindPortableDevices.aspx to see if it's compatible. Some of these players will work out of the box, i.e., just plug them in and transfer music immediately. Others may need a free software (firmware) update from the manufacturer of your MP3. Please check your product detail to determine if you need this update to be able to use our portable music service.
Q: What labels are represented on Charter Music?
In partnership with Synacor, Inc. and MusicNet, Charter Communications has obtained rights from BMG, EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony, Universal and many other companies to distribute music. These companies own the song catalogs of many popular labels, including Maverick, Atlantic, Elektra, Warner Brothers, Reprise, Arista, RCA, J Records, Virgin, Capitol, Priority, Blue Note, Jive, Columbia, Interscope, DefJam, Dreamworks, Geffen, Mercury, Island, A&M, and others. Charter Music also includes music distributed by hundreds of independent labels, representing all major categories of music.
Q: What if Charter Music does not have an artist I am looking for?
Charter Music adds new music to its library every Tuesday. In the event that your favorite artist is not currently available, please try again later.
Q: Is Charter Music accessible from outside the U.S.?
Charter Music is only available for use in the United States and its Territories/Possessions, including Puerto Rico.
Q: Can I share my Charter Music membership with others?
Your membership may be shared among members of your immediate household; however you may only have one active connection at a time. You will be logged out if a family member or friend logs in somewhere else using your information. Please note that for subscription downloads, you may only access the service from three PCs. For portable downloads, you can only transfer to two MP3 players. If you have already used 3 PCs to download subscription downloads, and wish to replace one of the PCs with a 4th PC, you may de-authorize one of your existing PCs from the 'My Account' section of Charter Music.
Q: Can I use Charter Music to listen to my existing MP3s?
No. The Charter Music To-Go service uses the Internet Explorer browser to stream songs to your PC. You will need to use traditional media player software to manage and play songs that are not from the Charter Music service. Charter recommends using Windows Media Player 10, which is the same player you use to play Charter Music songs that you elect to download to your PC. You may download Windows Media Player 10 at the following link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/mp10/default.aspx.
Q: Can I access my Charter Music service from another computer, such as my work, home, or other locations?
You may log in to Charter Music and listen to streamed songs and purchase permanent downloads on as many PCs as you chose. You may download subscription downloads on up to three unique PCs. However, please note that you may only access the service from one PC at a time. If you have already used 3 PCs to download subscription downloads, and wish to replace one of the PCs with a 4th PC, you may de-authorize one of your existing PCs from the 'My Account' section in Charter Music. For other customer support issues, please contact a Charter Customer Care Representative by going to http://www.charter.com/contact/contact.aspx to obtain your Support Centers Phone number or locate your Charter Cable Bill. Your Contact Center phone number is located on your billing statement.
Q: Can anyone else access my Charter Music subscription?
Unless you share your login information with others, only you will be able to access your premium online subscriptions. To prevent others from accessing your premium content, please keep your login information confidential.