Downloading Music From the Internet – What not to Do

November 9, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Tony Connor asked:


You’ve just got a new Zune or other media player, and you’re dying to get that song that you used to have on a record. You search the internet and find it!

It’s free! All you have to do is give them your email address and it’s yours. So you start to download it and the next thing you know, you have pop ups every time you open your browser, your anti-virus is complaining about trojans and trackware and your personal information is being copied around the internet.

There were signs. A page full of banner ads (some of which you had to avert your eyes from), pop-ups, flashing icons – and you thought you could just download it and transfer it to your Zune.

This happens everyday – all they want is a free song – it won’t hurt to download one free song – and they immediately regret it.

This happens every day. The reason these illegal copies are free is that the people who steal them don;t have the highest moral character! They take advantage of people downloading music, and steal much more than music copyright.

Fortunately, people are realizing that illegal downloads from these sort of sites are something to stay away from from the beginning. They are starting to realize that they aren’t really saving much, and the damage to your computer, and possibly your life, could be significantly worse.

There are options, today, to download music that are proven to be cost effective – pay per download from Zune Marketplace or amazon.com or membership sites where you pay one fixed charge for unlimited, lifetime downloads. These are places where you can look for that tune, and download it knowing that you won’t be downloading viruses or spyware.

It is worth it, for your computer and your peace of mind, to always download songs from a legal source that you can trust.



Where to Download Music – the Many Options

July 13, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Davion W asked:


It is common knowledge that you can download anything you want online, but the question that you have to ask is, where to download music from. Music is one of the most downloaded items on the Net, and it is no surprise, considering that the option is buying a CD, which is much more expensive. So, next time you want to add a song to your collection, consider the different options available.

How can you make a decision on where to download music from? First, you have to know what all are the options available and then you have to decide which will be the best for you. The problem is that there are so many options that it is easy to get confused and very hard to make a decision. It will help if you look at the different ways of downloading music as part of three groups.

1. P2P sharing

Peer-to-peer file sharing networks are usually free. You have to download and install the software, and your computer will become part of the network. You will download the music you want from files in other people’s computers. Often, this means risking your privacy and getting corrupt or infected files. The advantage is that it is free. That is a big consideration when you want to decide where to download music from, but you have to be ready to tale the risks involved.

2. Pay-per-song downloading sites

If your first consideration is the expense, this form of downloading is not for you. There are many websites that provide this service. The files you download will be safe and will not cause any problems either for your computer or for your player, but this can cause as big a hole in your pocket as buying CDs do. Unless you only download a few songs once in a while, this will not give you any savings, even if you decide to opt for monthly subscription. Once your subscription is over, you might not be able to open these files.

3. Lifetime pay once membership websites

This kind of downloading is the happy mean of the other two. You only have to pay once, and will have no more charges, and you will get safe and uncorrupt files. You will also have every right to do as you please with the songs once you download them – put them on CDs or your player, move them to another system, etc. You will not have to pay more than $50, and it is all completely legal.

There are websites that offer various combinations of these services, for example, for some you pay less per download, but pay an amount every month. These options are good for people who only download a few tracks. So keep your needs in mind when you decide where to download music from.

Now that you have all your options, all you have to do is decide which fits your requirements the best. Once the question of where to download music from is answered, you will have extensive collections at your fingertips.