Free Music? Yep it's Available, But be Very Careful
There's lots of free music on the web, but also a lot of danger. How to
download music for free legally gets more confusing almost daily. As the
recording industry continues its battle against piracy, the legality of P2P
file-sharing software is in question.
On September 5, 2005 a federal judge ordered Kazaa to alter the software,
disabling piracy uses. In June the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the music industry
can sue the makers of software that encourages stealing music. And it's quite
likely we'll see more rulings like this.
Now for the good news. There's a wealth of legal free mp3 files
downloads web sites. The trick is to know which mp3 downloads are lawful and
which are not.
Search and Find the Best Music Download Sites
First let's define what kinds of music download sites are safe.
There's basically three types:
- Subscription sites that offer a free trial period. These allow a pre-set
number of file downloads and/or time of free music downloading at no charge.
When the trial ends there's a fee to continue. Terms vary, but it can be an
inexpensive way to build a music collection.
- Musicians' web sites offering selected songs at no charge. It's good
marketing and increases their exposure.
- Sites created for musicians and fans. Artists upload their songs which
fans are free to download. These web sites often cater to a particular genre
(e.g., pop, jazz, etc.).
An Internet search for 'mp3 search engines' is a quick way to find many of
these sites. The most important caveat when downloading music files is to beware
of file swap sites and the software used on free peer-to-peer networks. Some are
fee-based, but even these are questionable. The old saying, "Buyer Beware" has
never been more appropriate, so do the homework before downloading.
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