The Sounds of Music--A Guide to Free Music Downloads.
The download revolution is in full gear! In 2004, legal song
downloads increased tenfold to more than 200 million worldwide.
According to some projections, downloads will account for a
quarter of record company sales by 2009. There are now over 240
million users trading MP3s, videos, software, and games on legal
file-sharing networks. You can, for example, legally download
music from over 850 different bands, over 20,000 live concerts
as well as have access to multiple software titles and games.
File sharing is not illegal so long as you follow all relevant
copyright laws. Sharing copyrighted material without permission
to do so IS illegal.
As Janis Ian said in a live radio interview, "The Internet and
downloading are here to stay. . . Anyone who thinks otherwise
should prepare themselves to end up on the slagheap of history."
Although strongly opposed by the Recording Industry Association
of America (RIAA), downloading has become a way of life for most
music lovers. Rather than resist this change, the music industry
should be rejoicing at a new technological advance with the
ability to "push" their product. Here is a fool-proof method to
deliver music to millions of people who might not otherwise
purchase a CD in a store. It's instantaneous, the costs are
minimal, shipping non-existent--in short, a staggering vehicle
for higher earnings and lower costs.
The music industry had exactly the same hysterical reaction to
the advent of reel-to-reel home tape recorders, cassettes,
minidiscs, VHS, BETA, music videos, MTV, and a host of other
technological advances designed to make the consumer's life
easier and better. And rather than spend billions of dollars and
countless years in courtroom battles over inane copyright laws,
the music business should embrace downloading and reap the
benefits of free exposure for the artists.
Realistically, why do most people download music? To hear NEW
music, or listen to records that have been deleted and are no
longer available for purchase. The goal is not to avoid paying
$5 at the local used CD store, or taping it off the radio, but
to hear music they simply can't find anywhere else. Face
it--most people cannot afford to spend $17.95 to experiment on
music they may not want.
Who gets hurt by free downloads? Aside from a handful of
super-stars like Celine Dion, not many. The artists only
benefit. The primary way an artist becomes successful is through
exposure. Without exposure, no one comes to concerts, no one
buys CDs, no one buys the T-shirts or the posters. Free
downloading gives a chance to every do-it-yourselfer and garage
band out there.
You don't need to worry about getting sued by RIAA or arrested
by the FBI if you download legal music. Many independent and
unsigned musicians offer downloads of their music in hopes of
attracting more fans. If you don't think violating copyright
laws by downloading music with filesharing programs like Kazaa,
Grokster, Morpheus, Madster, eDonkey, Direct Connect, OpenNap,
iMesh, or Gnutella could get you in serious trouble, then you
need to read RIAA Obtains Subpoenas Against File Swappers. You
can avoid any such problems (like lawsuits) by enjoying music
from the tens of thousands of talented musicians who offer legal
downloads of their music.
You might be thinking--how do musicians make any money if they
offer free music downloads. The simple answer is that they will
make money the way they always have, by selling recordings,
playing live concerts and selling merchandise such as T-shirts,
hats, beer mugs and posters. While the RIAA sheds crocodile
tears over the way file sharing programs rip off the recording
artists, the truth is, on average, a musician makes 41 cents for
each CD sold. The record stores earn a couple of bucks per CD,
and the record companies reap astronomical profits.
That is precisely why a number of top artists have announced
their support for file sharing. Offering music downloads is at
least as effective at drawing fans to a concert as selling a
compact disc, and possibly more so.
With so much free music readily available, it is sometimes
difficult to find music that's actually worth listening to.
Although many bands and individuals offer music on their
websites, there's no real way to tell if it's any good without
actually downloading it. But you can help pick out the good from
the bad by using collaborative filtering, for example, by
downloading music with iRATE radio which can be found at
irate.sourceforge.net.
Another way to find worthwhile music downloads is to let others
do the work and then reading the music reviews which several web
sites offer. One of the best such sites is Fingertips, which
calls itself "An intelligent guide to free and legal music on
the web." Other websites that provide reviews of music downloads
are Gods of Music and Gigatracks.
By downloading your favorite music tunes, you are no longer
constrained by offerings from a single CD. Do some research for
quality music download sites, take advantage of any free trials
on the pay sites, download the music, burn your own CD filled
with your personal favorites, turn up the volume and "let the
good times roll."