I also prefer to use CDs and buy local when possible.There's also trading sites such as SwapACD which helps you find aftermarket CDs and contribute without directly giving money to the big unethical companies like Amazon. Unfortunately they require PayPal and identification. One solution may be P.O. Box and Pre-Paids however?
Regarding ITunes, Nightengale is similar in appearance. The only non-free parts might be in their optional addons - the rest is GPL and fully free.
