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Songbird (another great app from MOZILLA) aims to do for media managers what Firefox did for Web browsers: trounce the standard bearer (iTunes, in this case) with customization, open-source ideology, and sheer performance. Actually built on the same codebase as Firefox, Songbird allows you to manage your music collection, buy songs, and load audio on your iPod.

Songbird is the one iTunes alternative that can play songs purchased from the iTunes store, which makes switching from the seemingly inescapable (and overrated) Apple media manager easier than you’d expect. Songbird also has no problem loading music to most iPods. For those who choose to skip Apple altogether, many other media players, including models from Archos, Sony, Creative, and SanDisk, are also supported.

Songbird shares Firefox’s ability to support extensions. An already impressive library of add-ons includes: a "feathers" feature (display themes, in case you don’t like the default, flat gray look), downloadable album art and lyrics, streaming music from Last.FM, and the ability to use an iPhone or iPod touch as a remote control (similar to Remote). Songbird also leverages its Web browser roots to let you browse the Internet (complete with multiple tabs) and search the Web for music. If you visit a site like Fluxblog, which is loaded with MP3s, Songbird automatically detects them and opens a mini-playlist at the bottom of your screen. From here you can stream or download every song on the page.

Nonetheless, Songbird is still a young program, so don’t be surprised to find that it has some bugs. You’re bound to suffer occasional hangs or crashes, especially if you load up with extensions. Songbird also lacks support for a couple of key media features: video playback and podcast subscriptions.

But if you’re looking for an free and open source app, then you can try out Songbird!