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?

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.

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. 

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.

Connect

This is a service from Sony that offers tracks from all the major labels and publishers. However, because the service is owned by Sony, the tracks will only play in MP3 players from the brand. Customers can use the SonicStage jukebox system to play the songs, although this has to be downloaded from Sony directly before it can be used.

EMusic

Rather than charging users for their individual downloads, EMusic asks consumers to sign up for $9.99 a month. This will give them access to 40 tracks each month until the user cancels their agreement. The site has over 600,000 songs available for download, although these are entirely from independent musicians and the majority of well known pop acts are not on the site. However, the monthly payment business model means that each song costs just $0.25, so if you are looking to get independent music for a low price, this could be the site for you.

iTunes

This is the major player in the legal music download market. Customers who have iTunes installed on their computer can access the iTunes store, where they can download tracks from established acts and little known performers. Of course, Apple has made sure that all the tracks are only playable on Apple MP3 players such as the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch, so you may have to buy one of these devices before you start downloading songs.

Mperia

Mperia is more a site for musicians that music listeners. Musicians can upload any songs they choose, for free, and when they are downloaded they keep 70% of the profits. Customers already using the site can also rate the music available to help newcomers pick the best songs to listen to.

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.

Common’ guys, nothing’s free anymore on the net and paying assures your ass doesn’t get sued for piracy. If one is also interested in downloading DVD’s which you can burn (with the use of their software of course) and play in your portable, PC or view using your home theater you can opt for the additional $15.00 to get unlimited downloads.

As you might have noticed, there is a proprietary program to download, play and burn your cd’s which they use for DRM instead of you deciding which is which but it still falls in your lap if you do get to upload or download a so-called hot track or music video. DRM has been almost non-existent in the P2P world which makes it the worst place to find legal music. The software allows you to get sample tracks which you could play for three times after which you can buy them or delete them from your play list (with the free version of the software). The fee you pay removes all the annoying ads and advertising hoopla included with the other free music download sites.

Advertising is the bread and butter of most free music sharing sites like Ruckus and the many others out there and when you do register and get a paid service, you get them out of the standard free programs. You have access to all the latest tracks from Arvil, Timbaland and many more, so do check them out for some of the best legal downloads from a P2P site that’s fast and legal. Get it, LEGAL, meaning you get your music without stepping over somebody else’s toes and get sued later for DRM violation Intellectual Copyrights infringement. So MP3Rocket.com for the best P2P legal downloads. The fee you pay is a one time fee, you don’t get charged per/download or video. As long as you’re within the contract (package) scope, you get unlimited access to all the music, video and music videos you like.