There are millions of music lovers out there. Millions of people who believe that music is a necessity of life. Much like food and shelter it is a vital part of our existence and we will search for ways to obtain it.
This is the problem of the major labels in the music industry. They love the fact that people seek out their product. They are annoyed, however, that people are distributing their songs for free. Simply put, they make no money from their work when people do that so of course they are angry; angry enough to bring lawsuits to companies and individuals who download their music illegally.
If you are thinking that you are safe, check again. The RIAA leaves no individual out irregardless if you are an adult, child or as in some cases even deceased. So, how to be sure that you are safe and legally downloading music?
- Download only from reputable online stores. These stores will only put up 30 second or 60 second samples of the actual song. They will then ask you to purchase the album or piece as you prefer.
- Their terms of agreement will have no disclaimers on the legality of your ownership. If the company asks you to pay a premium for membership and then indicates in their contract that they only provide you with music sources but will not vouch for your ownership, you are dealing with a pirate.
- Be wary the minute you see the sign P2P. P2P or peer to peer is your doorway to getting in trouble. If someone is allowing you to copy their music collection but is not the person performing in it or the company that produced it, you are downloading illegal stuff. Again, check for any disclaimers on the copyright. There is no such thing (at this time) as a 100% legal P2P.
[tags]music,download,P2P,RIAA,piracy[/tags]