The so-called peer-to-peer (P2P) phenomenon or file-sharing specifically of music has been sought to be stopped at the threat of legal prosecution. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act of 1998 reinforced the earlier existing copyright laws of the United States. The legal move was based on the premise that illegal downloading of music infringes on the intellectual property rights of musicians and artists as it reduces the amount of money they should be earning.
Internet music piracy has been blamed for decreased CD sales although not everyone is convinced. This is because majority of those who choose to download in this manner are not actual potential buyers. They share music in the same way that they share other things to their friends since these people are teens and college kids.
File-sharing has been credited for playing a big part in furthering the popularity of songs. This move is generally spontaneous and those who do it for no financial consideration rarely have criminal inclinations of copyright infringement. That said, it doesn’t change the fact that illegal downloading remains legally unacceptable, although it appears to be socially acceptable.
Even when the Recording Industry Association of America or the RIAA has conceded to the truth that file sharing is only one of the many factors that negatively affected CD sales along with slow economic conditions as well as competing forms of entertainment, ceasing of illegal downloading of music is still being actively campaigned for. Not because you pay a site to download music automatically means you are not violating any law. It can happen that the site itself has no right to distribute the music which you downloaded.
Given the very complicated situation, isn’t it possible to harness the strength of P2P towards the benefit of the music industry, especially since there appears to be nothing yet that can absolutely stop file sharing?
Tags: File Sharing, peer-to-peer
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music
It appears that in spite of best efforts by the music industry to push CD sales and legal download, not enough revenue is being generated to sustain people of particular interest to the recorded music industry. These are the music publishers, the rights owners, and the companies offering downloads. Because of the prevailing situation, companies like Apple and Amazon are pushing for a cloud-based alternative to digital music services. All indications point to the inclination of consumers towards access over download. This simply means that music lovers will more and more prefer to stream their desired songs rather than to physically own records and albums.
Subscription to mobile music streaming services is expected to become mainstream by the year 2016. This forecast if realized, spells positive developments for consumers as well as the mobile music streaming providers and the middle men in the business. Musical artists will have the advantage of unlimited access to various options for product distribution although there are serious concerns about the income-generating capability of selling recorded music.
In a survey conducted in September 2011, streaming music online for free and downloading digital music files for free have percentage shares akin to current mainstream activities including buying physical copies of CD or vinyl and purchasing music files online. The same survey shows that a very small number of consumers would pay to stream music online. Industry observers are almost in complete agreement that digital music consumers will travel the same path as that of online social gamers where only a few opted to pay for the privilege of getting premium service and many settle for less as long as there are no monetary considerations involved.
The increasing usage when music and service is offered for free is observed universally. This is the reason why internet service providers and electronic device manufacturers are scrambling to bundle music access into their offered packages. Concerns about audio quality take a backseat for now to instant access.
Tags: cloud-based digital music, mobile music streaming service
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music
Pictures which are not subject to copyright protection are those in the public domain. Public domain images include works that have been released by their owners for use of the general public. A desired picture may not readily reveal if it is public domain or not which may necessitate further checking of copyright status, if any.
Copyright law allows for the “fair use” of any pictures without the need to seek permission from the owner. This would usually include non-profit seeking purposes such as for a school report or for a community activity. Thumbnail images lifted from other sites have been declared by courts as falling under “fair use”. There are of course other considerations like the number of times it was used and how it was used.
Since copyrights to an image is not always clear, determining whether it is public domain or not may be tricky. Generally, photos that are considered public domain includes government photos, photos taken after the year 1989 except when otherwise stated, photos with expired copyrights, and photos posted on public domain websites. These sites are quite clear about the restriction-free nature of their posted images.
Once an image is declared public domain, it can be used for any private or commercial endeavor subject to certain restrictions of owners when applicable. Sites who offer these images typically requests for link backs or any credit, although most are not compulsory. Images with higher resolution are also usually offered for a fee. Public domain images collected in a site may come from various sources. Public domain pictures should stay as such and persons who have used it cannot claim copyrights on them.
Tags: free pictures, public domain images
Categories: Downloading Legally, Photo Images
Android has recently released its latest version for mobile phones which like its predecessors is named after a dessert. Called the Ice Cream Sandwich, it brings the features of Honeycomb (an earlier version), to the fore plus some added ones . Mobile phone users will be happy to know that these new offerings include facial recognition unlock, photography enhancements, network data usage monitoring and control, offline email searching, unified social networking contacts, and information sharing using NFC. The version initially comes with Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus phone but with the release of the source code last November 14, 2011, work for developing ports for other mobile devices has begun.
Android is an operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, tablet computers, netbooks, among others. The system is aimed to be provided under free and open source software as developed by Open Handset Alliance led by Google. The only known instance when Google withheld the source code was for its tablet-only Honeycomb release which was blamed on its rushed production.
Multitasking just got easier and more pleasantly visual with the release of this newest Android version. Users are assured of a powerful medium for communication and sharing. Widgets can be resized to allow either expansion or shrinkage in showing content. The new voice input engine offers an open microphone system that allows for unlimited dictation in the preferred language. The fun factor which has become a must for all gadgets and devices, is not lost in this version as graphical transformations such as background change and morphing effects are provided. The Android Beam allows instantenous sharing of music, videos, apps, and the like between two NFC-enabled devices by merely tapping send. It also introduced built-in support for connecting Bluetooth Health Device Profile designs.
Tags: Ice Cream Sandwich Android, music sharing
Categories: Mobile Phones, Music
Illegal downloading of anything which is considered an intellectual property is said to be a non-traditional form of stealing. This is most often done with music and movies, albeit unknowingly by many consumers. You can help create awareness for the important issue and promote your blog as well.
Downloading copyrighted materials is against the law. It has serious economic effects due to uncollected tax and decreased job opportunities for those directly involved in the production of the downloaded materials. Rules of ethics dictate that it is wrong to deprive people of the rightful fruits of their labor. This means paying for the enjoyment of the music,movie or book that we choose.
Websites can only distribute materials in which they hold distribution rights to. In the absence of such rights, they and their customers can be liable to possible consequences including payment of fine, arrest, and suspension of Internet service. The concerned industries have been trying to prevent illegal downloads through certain blocking technologies and reporting the download to the consumer’s Internet service provider but illegal downloading still remains a big issue among concerned industries.
Legal downloading websites can make their presence known through a blog review. For a standard fee of $ 14.99, a blog is reviewed and then published with backlinks to the blog itself. The membership package brings with it additional traffic, feedbacks, and links, which are all-important factors for blog success. The sign-up process simply requires blog details and the payment of the fee. Confirmation is given through email. All members can avail of advanced membership packages to take advantage of more exposure and support.
Tags: downloading, promote your blog
Categories: Downloading Legally
Computers and the internet have been used by consumers to download music for years. However, with the rise of eBook readers and devices such as the Kindle, downloadable books are quickly becoming popular. There are plenty of sites online where you can download titles to read, and these are some of the best ones.
Project Gutenberg
This is one of the best known sites for downloading free books. Like so many other sites, Project Gutenberg allows you to download titles which can be read on either a computer, an iPad or various other eBook reading devices. There is a comprehensive search option included with the site to help you find what you are looking for quickly. If you just want to browse titles, the site is updated each day with new books so there will always be fresh titles for you to read.
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Categories: Downloading Legally
With companies like Napster fighting expensive and well publicized legal battles in the past, consumers could be forgiven for thinking that all music download sites are illegal. However, this is far from the truth – there are hundreds of websites allowing customers to legally download songs. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether any money is exchanging hands – if a site allows you to download without paying, then chances are it is illegal, whereas legal sites will ask you to pay a nominal fee for each track, ranging from $0.79 to $0.99. Below are some of the major retailers online that allow customers to legally download music.
AudioLunchbox
Although relatively unknown, this sites has a large collection of music form independent artists available to download, as well as the usual pop stalwarts and major names. Most tracks cost $0.99 and are available as ‘unprotected’ MP3s. However, there is no cause to worry about protection – all this means is that they will play on t he vast majority of MP3 players and computers. There are also plenty of free tracks to choose from as well.
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Categories: Music
Not all forms of music downloads are allowed. It is highly possible that songs and albums are being illegally obtained without the knowledge of the user. Free music downloads are usually comprised of unknown songs from unknown singers as a form of exposure and promotion. Pay sites typically have exclusive tie-ups with popular artists.
Anything that is much sought-after has a corresponding price and that includes the music we listen to. We all know that the making of a song has necessary expenses. It is but fair that those who took the chance in financing its realization are rewarded for their efforts. When users download music illegally, they are in effect depriving the rightful persons of their due.
We can still get to enjoy the music we love for a reasonable price from trusted sites on the Internet such as iTunes, Napster, and MP3.com. With the large number of sites offering music downloads, it is very easy to confuse the legal sites with the illegal ones. The key is to find reasonable pricing that will allow downloads per song or based on the amount of music files.
It is important to download from a legal music site to ensure that you get to enjoy your music continuously. A music which has ceased to operate may mean ceasing of the music as well as provided by the particular download. The Recording Industry Association of America can provide a list of sites where music downloads can be had without worry.
Some artists and labels have chosen to sell their music throught their own websites. Many sites offer free downloads to attract enough traffic before they initiate charging. Others offer freebies in form of streams which cannot be transferred to an MP3 player or saved on the hard drive.
Tags: Free-music, legal downloading of music
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music
Not every downloadable content should be downloaded for one’s own protection. Sites we encounter online are not always what they seem to be. Responsible and selective downloading is the practice of searching for relevant contents from trustworthy sites and downloading them with no intent to infringe on other peope’s rights.
Dubious sites are often the source of malware that can drastically affect computer systems. Even sites that are considered safe and reliable can unknowingly pass on viruses after being victimized by malicious intent themselves. It is considered standard practice to run a virus scan on any downloaded content before it is opened. In this way, the protection is doubled instead of simply relying on other people’s promises.
Downloading that has been specifically allowed by content owners may carry certain limitations that users should be aware of. Downloadable web sites, programs, documents, RSS feeds, flash contents, videos, music, games, or pictures typically provide the means to accomplish the task very easily. Within seconds, the desired content is ready for use as files provided by the Internet host is quickly transferred to a computer’s hard drive.
The availability of a wide range of downloadable materials has served computer users very well in terms of having instant access to information when it is needed. There appears to be no topic left untouched by the far-reaching arms of online capability. Answers to questions are are just there for the picking.
One need not be a computer expert to master the skill of downloading. In fact, the so-called computer illiterates among us can manage just fine. As early as practicable, internet users should consider getting a downloading manager utility before the task becomes troublesome.
Tags: defensive downloading, proper downloading
Categories: Downloading Legally
It seems like not a week can go by without another story appearing in the press about the dangers of downloading or about the illegal scammers making a fortune from unsuspecting consumers. Of course, this is far from the truth – downloading files can be completely safe, legal and, above all, fun! In the respect, we bring you a list of the top five reasons why everyone should get on the download bandwagon.
Convenience
One of the biggest factors in favour of downloading is that you can do it all from the comfort of your own home! You no longer need to drive to a store to see if they have the particular album or film you want to watch (only to find they sold out last week). Instead, you can simply log on to one of the thousands of legal download sites and access great content within minutes. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Downloading Legally
