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.
Sharing
In the past, if you wanted to share a great album with your friends, you would either have to physically meet up with them and play it to them or record it onto a cassette for them (which was actually illegal anyway). Nowadays, when you download a file you can share it almost immediately with whoever you choose. You may not be able to give them their own copy but with email and other communication technology you can share your favourite content with your friends quickly and easily.
Cost
Downloading music may even save you money in the long term. The average cost for each song you download is around $0.99, meaning that a 10 track album will cost you $9.90 – this is usually cheaper than the majority of record stores that you could buy it from. Additionally, you may not want to buy the whole album and may only want to own a song or two from it. By downloading select tracks you can save yourself money and ensure you only get content that you really want to own.
Protecting the Industry
Although it may be tempting to choose illegal sites that allow you to download for free, it is always worth paying for your online music in the long term. The fact is, a portion of the money you pay for downloads is pumped back into the music industry, improving the quality of music releases further down the line. Illegal sites take money away from artists and record labels and while this may not affect the major worldwide pop stars, it does have an effect on smaller, more independent acts (who are usually the ones which produce the most interesting music anyway!).
Avoiding Problems with the Law
The basic fact is that downloading content without paying for it is illegal. Although the chances that you are caught by record labels or production houses are small, there is still a risk that if you get caught doing something illegal you could get punished by the law. Overall, it is best to avoid the unnecessary headaches that come with illegal downloading and stick to getting your content from legal sources.
Rob Schoewe loves computers, technology, and exploring the web. He recommends others in his profession seriously consider using IT staffing services to find work in the field of information technology after completing their educational programs.