"Legal and Music Downloads dot com"

"Legal and Music Downloads"... can these words actually be in the same sentence? Of course! ...so long you get downloads from reputable, legal sites (scroll down below for complete, up-to-date lists and methods (current as of July 2005)).

The legality issue of music downloads begin 2000 when several peer to peer (p2p) digital music services provided a fabulous way to download music for free. What a great tool this was! At least, at that time.

Only one problem - a big problem.

Music fans were not buying cds as much as before. Ever since Neilson's Soundscan system began officially tracking album and cd sales in 1991, there had been a steady increase in album and cd sales each and every year. This happened until 1999, when the mp3 format became public.

Since then, album and cd sales have plummeted. The cause? Free music downloading! What was even worse was that music fans were downloading these tunes and sharing them on these P2P sites without permission of the artist or their record label. No "legal and music downloads" here.

It is the consensus of current U.S. Federal statutes that downloading and uploading copyrighted music from a P2P site is like shoplifting from a cd store. Whether this stance will be upheld in the future, and how artists will make money in the future if downloading from any site is suddenly declared legal, remains to be seen.

Today, the online music world is much more controlled than it was back in 2001 when use of the outlawed version of Napster peaked. For instance, Billboard magazine has changed the method it awards gold and platimum status to singles. They have abolished awarding these statuses in terms of hard-copy record sales. So long of 28 years of tradition.

Nowadays, the awarding system is based on what? You guessed it... download sales from legal sites. This new system was implemented in 2004.

These "legal and music downloads" sites, which have received permission from the record labels and artists to carry their music, have offered ways to pay for your music downloads. They have also offered neat ways that you download an unlimited number of songs for less without the authorities coming after you... even if they know.

Some people question us whether there is a way to save alot of money by buying cds online versus going to your local retailer. Please refer to this page often for updates on this subject.

UPDATE:

More people have been using legal and music download services like iTunes for their music acquisitions.

A number of outlets have been reporting on a British 2005 Digital Music Survey of people who obtain legal and music downloads online.

That survey of 4000 users shows 35 percent of them use legal methods to obtain music online, a figure that should climb to 40 percent soon. The survey, conducted by Entertainment Media Research in conjunction with media law firm Olswang, shows users fear prosecution, virus infections, and poor quality downloads, all factors that have them bypassing illegal file-sharing methods.

Nearly two thirds of respondents cited immediate availability of legal downloads was the most important reason for using those services.

"The findings indicate that the music industry is approaching a strategic milestone with the population of legal downloaders close to exceeding that of pirates," said EMR's chief executive Russell Hart.

"Clear deterrents to illegal downloading are emerging, with fear of prosecution running high, and close behind is the sense that unauthorized downloading is 'not fair on the artists,' suggesting that the industry's messages, led by the British Phonographic Industry, are being communicated effectively," Mr. Enser is quoted as saying about the survey.

Hope this clears up a few issues on "legal and music downloads".