Is it or isn’t it a legal download site? That was the hot debate. Their MP3 collection is quite extensive, more vast than that of iTunes. Unfortunately, that library includes songs from artists like the Beatles, who have not given their consent to any company to distribute their music online. That makes them pirates!

“How come the RIAA didn’t sue them?”, you ask. They sued everybody else, including dead people. What kept this download site safe while other sites like Napster and Kazaa got the “Either you comply or else!” threat? What kept AllofMP3.com safe was the Russian government.

Their happy days are ending though. Effective June 1, 2007, their site will be taken down. The same government that has protected them for so long is the very reason they are now forced to close their doors. Russia’s desire to be part of the WTO is forcing them to take down the site and apply more stringent anti piracy measures.

A lot of people will be sad to see AllofMP3.com go. They had really cheap rates and many enjoyed their collection. It’s just too bad that people were unaware that they were still practicing piracy in spite of the fact that they were paying for each song they downloaded.

Though the site won’t be taken down til next year, we suggest that people stop getting their music from here immediately. Better to avoid the risk of later getting sued. Simply look for a better site to get their music from.

Technorati Tags: download, legal, MP3, music, piracy

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music

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John, Paul, George and Ringo - they are the members of the original boy band, the Beatles. Their music reached millions and reached legend status. They triggered a musical evolution the effects of which are still unfolding. Long after the bandmembers stopped performing, their fan base continued to grow.

No one compares to this group. They definitely earned their place in history. They were trendsetters, not only in music but in fashion as well.

Their music spoke to everyone. Simple songs like “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” had the girls in the audience fainting (yes we mean your grandmothers). Even after they separated, the songs they created moved people. John Lennon’s “Imagine” for example moved quite a number of people to choose peace over war, something much needed even today.

Until recently, you cannot get legal copies of their albums online. You might be able to find a song or two but no more than that. This is because the remaining members of the band nor their recording label, EMI, have given permission for their music to be made available in digital form.

Rumors however are flying that Apple’s iTunes store may soon have exclusive rights to make the music of this famous band available. This is absolutely wonderful news for everyone who loves the music that they created. It will also allow more people, maybe even some from the younger generations get into Beatlemania.

No announcements have been made yet confirming that Apple has indeed acquired the rights to make the Beatles songs available legally but many are already anticipating having Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on their iPods.

Technorati Tags: download, legal, Beatles, iPod, Apple, iTunes

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, ipods

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“Millions of Wrongs Don’t Make A Right”

That is the campaign that the Gospel Music Trade Association has fostered. They use well known christian artists as spokespersons against piracy. Their president John Styll says it is true that people are confused on the issue of illegal downloading. Many see nothing wrong with downloading free copies of songs, particularly gospel music. This is the prevalent attitude among the youth. Some have been heard to say that these guys get millions anyway.

Some take the stance that art should be free. Others see it as simply spreading the word. They know the power of music to bring more people closer to God. The songs were meant to be heard.

On the other hand, illegal downloading is stealing. The commandment therefore has been disobeyed and that bothers people. Still they wonder if it is truly stealing. Quite a number of people believe that it is indeed stealing and because of their values, the Gospel Music industry has experienced growth in sales of CDs and downloads in the last six months in comparison to the figures of 2005.

Knowing that values and education truly are the only way to address this problem, the Gospel Music Trade Association is preparing to bring this campaign to various youth events and organizations. They want to talk with the youth and discuss the digital downloading issue from an ethical stand point. As well we know, there is nothing like having someone realize a truth for themselves.

It is a very different style from what the RIAA has taken and may just have a stronger effect. The figures in that area of music sure seem to indicate that it is so. Hopefully it will spread to all the other areas as well.

Technorati Tags: download, legal, music, Christian, Gospel, campaign, youth

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music

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Universal Movies Australia and Reel Time Media have announced that they are collaborating and are introducing the world’s first download to own secure burn technology. This is great news for those who love to watch movies.

Starting November 29, consumers with a broadband connection will now be able to safely download movies and tv shows. They simply visit reeltime.tv in order to be able to select a movie from the available films in the library. Once they pay the appropriate fee they will be able to burn onto a physical disc the movie they have chosen.

Universal says that they will use a unique three-copy burn secure DTO system. The movies can be downloaded to a PC, laptop or any portable device that is compatible with Windows play4sure technology. A third digital file allows consumers to legally create a DVD copy of the movie.

For consumers, the good things is that Universal plans to make new movies available for download on the same day as its DVD release in the retail market. Consumers get the full DVD and are assured that these are good copies.

Among the titles slated to be made available soon are Miami Vice, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, King Kong, The Break Up, Curious George, The Bourne Supremacy and the 40 Year Old Virgin. More titles will be added to the library but this is definitely a good start.

Downloads are to be priced at A$15. If the movie you have chosen is a new release, you will be charged A$34 (Please note that the price may change).

Technorati Tags: download, legal.Universal movies, reel time media

Categories: Downloading Legally, Videos

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Downloading music has changed the landscape of the music and film industry. The RIAA and various production and recording companies claim that billions in revenue have been lost. Partly this is due to the lower CD sales. They refuse to believe that maybe their products isn’t as popular as they hope. They insist that the blame is on the illegal downloaders. They may be partly right.

The beauty of downloading is that an artist’s music will never truly disappear. The artist may not achieve the level of fame they desire (they only have 3 houses, 6 cars, a yacht and some “bling-bling”) but thanks to the internet, their music will be available for a very long time long after they have stopped performing. Isn’t that the true dream of most artists - to become part of history; maybe become a legend?

The music and film industry don’t get it yet. People are wise enough to know that you only buy the products you want to collect, the items that are truly valuable. That means that people will always buy the CD’s and DVD’s as long as the music is great and the films are worth watching. They will willingly pay to download a film or track or album legally in order to have a great copy of it. What the industry giants need to do is make the costs reasonable so that there is no point in pirating anymore.

At least Apple got it off to a good start when they made tracks downloadable at $0.99. Now if only Microsoft and any other players who will come in will just help to make the price even more reasonable, we just might be done with piracy altogether.

Technorati Tags: download, legal download, music, film, video, piracy

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Videos

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Here is something interesting and new from the guys who brought us Skype. They code named it the Venice Project. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis’s new pet project is a service that offers films and TV programs for free. How that will go over with the TV and movie industry, we have yet to hear.

The two are not novices to file sharing. They were after all the minds behind Kazaa. The question of whether this new service will also allow copyrighted material to be transferred freely has come up. After all, the industry wants their work to be legally made available and downloaded by their viewers.

Word has it that this will be an ad supported service. Streaming is the way that viewers get to watch the content available on this service so nothing will be stored on the computers of those who access the service. That they hope will take care of the piracy concern.

The pair plans to unveil this new service at the Future of Television Forum in New York. The crowd there will be the first to experience their video website which offers downloads of films and television shows in high definition.

The video race is on and the fight against piracy is still being waged. With yet another player in the field, the consumers can only hope that reasonable prices and easy access together with great service will be the end result . That would definitely be something that everyone will look forward to.

Technorati Tags: video, streaming, download, legal, Kazaa, Skype, Niklas Zennstrom, Janus Friis

Categories: Downloading Legally, Videos

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If you are into music, a site to check out is intomusic.co.uk . This is a home for independent music. There are lots of new tunes and new artists to be found here. So if you are looking for new blood, this is a good place to visit.

Of course there are also tunes from some established musicians such as the Dave Matthews Band, Hundred Reasons, Lambchop and Elbow. The site though doesn’t focus on the artists who are already popular so you can have more fun discovering gems without recording companies influencing your choices.

Into music has great flexibility. You can sign up for a monthly membership of £7.69 which entitles you to 25 tracks per month. Or you can simply buy individual tunes, which is the more common style. The tracks of more known Artists cost £0.79 while those from newer artists cost £0.59.

Many independent artists bring their music here. One reason is because fifty percent of the retail price of their tracks goes directly to the artists. So those who want to support their favorite artists and see them truly get what they deserve please do shop here. The site is easy to navigate and there is good music available here. You might find your favorite artists on the Editor’s Earmark corner or in the top 10.

Oh, and they do sell mp3 players if you want one as well. It makes sense to shop for your music player where you buy your music, right?

Technorati Tags: download, legal download, music, Independent artists

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music

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There are people out there who believe that people who own an MP3 player or download music are thieves . Bold statements to that effect have been made by the CEO of Microsoft, Steve Balmer, who has been quoted saying, “The most common format of music on an iPod is stolen”; and Doug Morris, chairman and CEO of Universal Music who said, “These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it. So it’s time to get paid for it.”

It is so sad that all these men see are thieves. There are billions of people all around the world. Billions of songs have been downloaded legally since a way was made to legally acquire the music. Many more still buy music CDs and still they are not content.

“Why are they insulting their market?” you wonder. Unfortunately, no one knows the answer to that at this point. Maybe they want people to try and prove them wrong and have people buy a Zune and get music from them. With such similar opinions, is it any wonder that they have come to an agreement? In exchange for being able to sell Universal’s music, Microsoft is giving Universal a percentage of the sale of every Microsoft Zune. This is the kind of arrangement that Microsoft plans to make with all the recording companies, it is said.

Rather than insulting people, come out with great products and great alternatives instead. Make it worth people’s while to buy your stuff. More people are likely to download legally if they get a better deal that way.

Technorati Tags: download legally, music, microsoft, zune, universal music, mp3, thieves

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, ipods

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If downloading video clips is what you like to do, then you should check out Grouper. Recently purchased by Sony Pictures Entertainment for $65 million, this is their answer to YouTube.

Yes, Grouper is now a legal site. Universal Music sued the original owners of Grouper after some of the members posted some of Universal Music’s copyrighted materials and music videos. That led up to the opportunity that Sony was waiting for - they now own Grouper.

Members of the site will be able to access Sony’s film clip library and embed these into their blogs or social networking site such as myspace without fear of being sued or having the clip suddenly taken down. Sony Pictures or Grouper won’t mind if you share the video clips. In fact, they’ll be very happy if you spread their material because they feel it will bring more eyes to their work. According to Sean Carey, Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Entertainment, “It’s really a marketing vehicle for sales of actual product. The clips”, he said, “will help us sell more DVDs and digital downloads…in a viral fashion.”

There are clips from movies such as Jerry Maguire and Taxi Driver. There are also clips of some old TV shows such as the Three Stooges, Fantasy Island and Different Strokes. Of course there are more movies lined up to be included in their line up.

Membership to the site is free of charge. Do note though that they only provide short clips or trailers on the site. If you want a movie or TV show’s episode, you will have to pay to download the full version or to have the DVD sent to you. That seems pretty reasonable, right? The question will just be on how much you are willing to pay.

Technorati Tags: Download, legal download, Grouper, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Jerry Maguire, Taxi driver, Three Stoges, Fantasy Island, Different Strokes

Categories: Downloading Legally, Videos

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Unless you get to really sit down and watch a show regularly, it is hard to keep track of what’s happening. For most of us, there is barely any time to eat, drink or sleep, let alone have a life. Most of our day is spent making a living or caring for our loved ones. TiVo will just have to do for recording the shows you miss.

Now you’re probably saying TiVo is expensive and you don’t have one. That’s ok. You can still catch up on most of your favorite shows without it. All you need is to go to TV.com.

TV.com is a fantastic site for the couch potatoes in us. They have a beautifully organized site with most of the series that are currently running in the United States. Wait…yes, they do have older series as well and even a few international ones (mainly those in english or with english translations plus a few Japanese animated shows). They have everything from a TV guide to episode guides, recaps and show summaries. They can even tell you if a series is new, returning or ended. You can even chat with other fans of your favorite show via the forum.

You can download episodes sometimes merely days after it has aired on TV. All you will need is to have iTunes on your PC and you’ll be able to get the latest installments of the series direct from the iTunes store.

So who says you need to wait for replays or reruns. Just download the shows legally from TV.com and you’ll be all set to watch shortly. Have fun!

Categories: Downloading Legally, Videos

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