Member Avatar for mystery_inc18

hey friends....we all download music frm the net.......
but did u know In 2003, the RIAA, or Recording Industry Association of America, launched lawsuits against 261 peer-to-peer file sharing users for illegally downloading copyrighted music. Before these lawsuits, the legality of file sharing was widely debated, and all the while P2P file sharing was wildly popular.

Since the first round of RIAA lawsuits, there has been a lot of concern and many misconceptions over where the lines of legality are drawn. The following guidelines should help you understand what's legal, what's not, and what you can do to ensure you're not breaking any laws.

Downloading from the Internet is legal
This is a good place to start. No matter what fears may have been stirred up surrounding music downloading after the RIAA lawsuits, the first thing you should know is that it is 100% legal to download music from the Internet.

Not all Internet music downloading is legal
I hate to say it, but the best red flag that you're illegally downloading music is that your music is free and downloaded from a P2P file sharing network. If it is copyrighted (excluding music designated as free using a Creative Commons license or EFF's Open Audio License), especially from a major label, someone will be upset about missing royalties. While there are places where you can find free promotional downloads and free rights music from popular (and not so popular) artists, this is the exception, and most files shared on P2P networks are not this kind of file.

There are plenty of Legal downloading services that offer music for a download which hav been disucssed here

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Thread starter rightly starts the conversation, but the statement "downloading from the Internet is legal" is incomplete. In the United States (and many other places) copying or distributing copyrighted music without the rightsholder’s permission is copyright infringement and can carry substantial civil (and sometimes criminal) penalties. The safe rule is simple: download only when the uploader or site has the right to distribute the track (artist/label release, public‑domain, or an explicit Creative Commons/other license). (copyright.gov)

For ’s iPod question: aim for DRM‑free files. Most iPods play MP3 and AAC/M4A (and also Apple Lossless, WAV and AIFF), so download those formats to avoid transfer or playback problems; subscription streams are usually not transferable to older iPod models. Look for direct artist stores or platforms that deliver DRM‑free downloads and offer multiple formats — Bandcamp is a common example (artists can offer MP3/FLAC/ALAC and pay‑what‑you‑want/free options), and the Internet Archive hosts large collections of public‑domain and Creative‑Commons audio. After downloading, import into iTunes/Music and sync to the device. (support.apple.com)

Avoid untrusted P2P sources for copyrighted music: aside from the legal exposure, P2P networks have been the vector for data leaks and malware, and government/consumer bodies have warned organizations and users about those risks. If the goal is legal free music, prefer artist pages, reputable archives, or licensed services rather than raw P2P swaps; also keep antivirus and a firewall enabled. (ftc.gov)

Quick checklist to apply now: (1) confirm the license before you download; (2) choose MP3/AAC/ALAC for iPod compatibility; (3) prefer Bandcamp/artist sites or archive collections over P2P; (4) scan files for malware; (5) import to iTunes/Music and sync. Posts by and point to free/legal sources — combine those leads with the checklist above to stay legal and iPod‑ready.

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Member Avatar for tanhimself

with that said, i need some more answers. i have been looking for a service that is free, legal, and safe to use. and it has to be compatible with an ipod. it sounds to good to be even close to true. napster is $5 a month then extra for every song that you burn to a CD to transfer to iTunes. iTunes is 99 cents a song which can really add up in a short period of time.

is there something that im missing?

Member Avatar for joshSCH

That, and microsoft's way of obtaining music via Microsoft points..

I hate the RIAA btw, the entire music industry makes tons of $$, and a few lost dollars b/c of p2p downloads is NOTHING to them.

Member Avatar for Serunson

i know a place, try: www.we7.com
it has free legal downloads! :)
BUT it does have a limited collection! :(

Member Avatar for darrglud

has anyone tried ?

Member Avatar for The Dude

the entire music industry makes tons of $$, and a few lost dollars b/c of p2p downloads is NOTHING to them.

Exactly..........

Member Avatar for xPawlx

When you gotta pay for your downloads people are usually annoyed at the prices you have to pay for 1 song.

If your gonna use a p2p then you have to think hmmm. Is it really worth it. Not only for getting caught and then getting a huge fine and criminal charges. Ther are also quite alot of viruses that can come through when your actually downloading the songs/movies/pictures/whatever.

Member Avatar for joshSCH

If you know what your doing then you wont get caught.. or get any viruses.. Virus protection software is useful for something, you know ;)

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