Music Downloads - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Looking for bargains on music downloads? Read this Scam Eye guide to download sites first—or you may get more than you bargained for. We’ve divided download sites into three classes: “The Good” (Legal), “The Bad” (Barely Legal) and “The Ugly” (Illegal). Let’s start with illegal sites because they’re the ones most likely to take your money and make you feel scammed—or worse.
ILLEGAL
“The Ugly” is peer-to-peer (or P2P) music sharing.
P2P sites offer unlimited free music downloads. This is blatantly illegal—which is why, since 2003, record companies have filed some 26,000 lawsuits over file sharing. If you’re caught, the fines could be in excess of $800 for each song or violation. Feeling lucky?
If so, be aware that although P2P sites don’t charge monthly fees, a lot of them scam you out of 30 or 40 bucks for the software you need. Limewire and Kazaa are typical examples. Why is this a scam? Because the software is available for free elsewhere. Here are some other sites that pull the same trick:
- http://joinxmusicdownloads.com/
- http://www.mp3downloadsbox.com/
- http://www.mp3downloadzone.com/
- http://www.top-music-reviews.com/
- http://mp3suite.com
- http://unlimiteddownloadcenter.com/
- http://www.mp3downloadnet.com/
Paying for something that’s free is bad enough, but it gets worse. Music may not be the only thing you wind up downloading from people with bad intentions. File-sharing software exposes you to spyware and viruses. Even if you escape getting sued by a record company, free music suddenly becomes expensive when you have to pay your local geek to clean up your computer.
BARELY LEGAL
Russian music sites are “The Bad.”
They may be legal in Russia but not in the US. The largest Russian music site, http://www.allofmp3.com/, was shut down by US pressure, but new sites continue to pop up. Some examples:
- http://www.Mp3panda.com
- http://www.soundike.com/
- http://www.gomusic.ru/
You’ll pay 10 to 20 cents per track, which sounds like a bargain—until you consider the risk. The people running these sites aren’t exactly Boy Scouts, and the Russian business environment is akin to the old Wild West.
If you get stuck with fraudulent charges on your credit card, forget about legal remedies. Identity theft is also a very real—and painful—possibility. Plus, you’ll be ripping off the music publishers and recording artists, because Russian sites don’t pay royalties.
LEGAL
Yes, you have to pay full freight when you buy from “The Good.”
But for 99 cents (or less) per song, the only thing you’ll download is music—not viruses, spyware, hackers, identity thieves and lawsuits from record labels. And not ripping off the musicians will make you feel good. They deserve a living, too, and very few are getting rich making music.
Try these sites out first and see if any of them work for you. They typically come with a free trial period, so you can cancel without charge if you dislike the service, then keep the music for free—legally.
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