The music industry was revolutionized by
two major events, the first was the development of the MP3
format, and the second was the advent of P2P software like
Napster. The easy availability of P2P software meant an
internet user could easily download thousands of songs and
listen to music for free without having to spend a single
dollar, including free music downloads. Napster was just the
beginning of the file sharing revolution and free
downloadable music (although
Napster is now a legal music service), today there are P2P
software available which allow users to download and share
music files. Unfortunately, many people are unaware that P2P
software like Kazaa and eDonkey are illegal and using P2P
networks to share music is more often than not, a copyright
infringement.
The RIAA (Recording Industry Association
of America) is a fierce opponent of music piracy, and is
using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to find internet
users that are using illegal P2P software. Every year, the
RIAA settles thousands of copyright infringement lawsuits.
However, there is software available which enables users to
download MP3s legally without breaking any copyright laws.
Here are a few tips to help you download free legal music.
The easiest way to find free downloadable music and
free music downloads is by
visiting an artist’s or music group’s website and
downloading music from the ‘downloads’ section. Most artists
and music groups allow visitors to listen to music for free, also
free download music and music videos from their website (you might have to
become a member first). Another way to download free legal
music is via online music stores; most music stores allow
users to download popular music tracks as ‘samples’ for
free. There is also specialized software available that
allows users to search and share music that has been legally
downloaded and is free to distribute. You can also use
search engines like Google and Yahoo to find free MP3 files
that are free to download.
There has been considerable criticism of
P2P software but not all P2P software is illegal and there
are paid services that charge a small fee to give users
access to P2P networks. The legality of the software and
websites mentioned above has been questioned, but software
like the one available on
unlimiteddownloadplace.com is
still one of the most downloaded software on the internet to
do free music downloads.
There is no law prohibiting the downloading of P2P software
and this is why P2P software is perfectly legal and readily
available online.
It is important to understand that as a
user, you are obligated to respect the various copyright
laws that apply in your country. In essence, the onus of
using P2P software judiciously lies with you and not with
the website that is offering the P2P software. If you are
downloading P2P software, make sure you understand the
legalities and copyright laws involved. Also remember, that
not all websites claim they are allowing you to download
free downloadable music. If you are not sure if the music you are
downloading is legal, get in touch with the website that you
downloaded the software from or better still go through the
‘read me’ file of the P2P software.
