Legal music sites vs. File sharing programs
Have you been undecided about which side of the argument you are on regarding which download sites to choose? The choice is and has been relatively clear. Do you choose to go to legal music download sites to get your songs on a pay per song basis or have you taken the path that leads to a peer to peer site where it is free or an annual fee is charged, do you save a lot? money but risk violating copyright laws?
What are the differences?
When file sharing programs emerged, people realized that it had become a bigger and bigger market to take advantage of their downloaded music. Music companies backed off and are still trying to figure out what to do about illegal music downloads and the sites that provide them. The legal battles still continue. To remain competitive, music companies responded by offering consumers legal alternatives.
legal music download sites
These sites offered pay-per-song programs that allowed you to pay only for the songs you wanted, without the expense of buying the entire CD. Some of these sites include:
Musicmatch – Offers a quality membership package
Napster: With an extensive digital music library and a free 7-day trial
E – Music – 25 free downloads to get you started
Rhapsody: over 2,000,000 music files
Wal-Mart: Slicing up their competition with songs as low as 88 cents a song and advertising their legality
I-Tunes: with the ever popular i-pod as a player
These sites are safe, competitive, and offer high-quality legal digital music downloads. There is a huge benefit to the legitimacy of purchasing these downloads and adding them to your existing library.
File sharing programs
These file sharing programs are called P2P or peer to peer programs. They are the most controversial way to download and record free music on the Internet. To name a few of the most popular:
limewire
aimster
drip
Song book
Ares
Shareaza
WinMx
imesh
The lawsuits have curbed some of the illegal trading of pirated music. But today there are new file sharing programs that hide the identities of users. These P2P networks now connect users directly to each other instead of through a central network that was easier to trace. Unless you pay for the Pro versions, you may run into problems that legal sites help prevent. Adware, spyware, pop-ups and hacker invasions are more common and your privacy can be severely compromised.
Many people are still confused about what is legal
The legal battles have subsided in public awareness and because both types of sites are still in business, public uncertainty remains. The web is still full of competitive legal music download sites and file sharing websites with minimal or free fees.
Can sharing files put me at risk of legal action?
The vast majority of completely free programs on P2P networks violate copyright laws because the music was released without the permission of the artist or label. File sharing programs, on the other hand, are not illegal and have many legitimate uses. Some unsigned bands distribute their music through free downloads and many organizations use them to exchange documents.
What else is illegal?
What is clearly illegal is the unauthorized copying of commercial music. Simply put, you are allowed to make a copy of your own CD for your personal use. However, you may not give this copy to another person, even if there is NO money involved. The act of selling or giving BOTH violates copyright laws.