Finding MP3 Files Online – What Is Legal?

Very few people haven’t heard of “Napster,” which originated from a teenager’s idea that basically changed the way the Internet, the music industry, and the way we as consumers think about music in general. line. The words “intellectual property” have taken on a whole new meaning due to the innovative ideas of one young man. Eighteen-year-old Shawn Fanning, in 1999, wrote the code for the “Napster” utility, Shawn Fanning’s nickname for his hair. The program combined three key functions into one: search engine dedicated to finding MP3 files only; file sharing to exchange MP3 files directly; and Internet Relay chat (IRC) as a way to find and chat with other MP3 users while online. When he downloaded the original beta version from download.com, it immediately became one of the most popular downloads on the site.

MP3 files on Napster were stored on each user’s machine, rather than on a large central computer. This new process was called “peer-to-peer sharing” or P2P. Every song that was downloaded from someone else’s machine, which could be located anywhere in the world. The main requirement was that the Napster utility be needed on each machine for the transfer (or file sharing) to work. These songs that were downloaded as MP3 song files to each PC computer for listening, could then be transferred to MP3 players, such as iPods or Zen Micros, for listening.

The ability to download free music online, instead of buying a CD, made this program very popular. But neither the music industry nor music artists, not even songwriters, were able to get paid for their music. Thousands of copies of copyrighted songs were downloaded for free, upsetting the music industry. Napster was banned in about 40% of US colleges and universities when it was illegal, with college students being its primary users. Several reasons were for this: college students really like technology, more than most; and also colleges and universities make high-speed Internet access available to college students. The MP3.com website was sued by record companies because they did not have copyrighted materials available for students to download online, even though they were paying royalties on everything sold.

The Napster lawsuit got everyone’s attention, no matter which side a person was on. The thing to remember is that once someone has bought or will buy your MP3 player, it’s important to play legally by the rules. Some song rules are listed on the internet to download song files legally:

1. In the public domain

2. Uploaded by artists who are trying to get exposure

3. Released by record companies, trying to generate interest in a CD

4. Paid for the right to download, and the site pays royalties to the artist or record company.

Media companies successfully destroyed the original Napster in 2002, but its service was co-opted by AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft. Its instant messaging products have enabled people to exchange music files, photo files, etc. with their friends. In addition, Sony distributes some of its music through ScourExchange.

Here are some legal services that charge reasonable amounts and are reputable names:

1. AOL Music Now: America On Line is a big name in the Internet world with over 1.5 million songs in its database for members to use. You can try AOL’s service on a free trial and then download by song for $0.99.

2. FYE – A leader in downloadable music, FYE offers 1.2 million songs to choose from at a fixed price of $1 per download after a free trial period.

3. MSN Music: Another leading name on the Internet and the name on computers, Microsoft offers a million songs that are available for $0.99 per download. MSN does not offer a free trial period.

4. MusicMatch – MusicMatch software will make personal recommendations for you and charge you $0.99 per download for the music you choose. MusicMatch does not offer a free trial period.

5. Napster: The name that started it all is now one of the top music download outlets with a monthly membership fee. Napster offers downloads for $9.95 a month on up to three computers with over a million songs in its database. Napster offers a seven-day free trial.

6. PassAlong – This is a relatively new site with a smaller database than most download services at around 400,000 songs, but it offers a nice profit in return. When you make recommendations to your friends for certain types of music, you earn bonus points to reduce the price of future downloads. PassAlong starts at $0.99 per download and does not offer a free trial.

7. Wal-Mart: The name in bargain shopping offers the cheapest price for Plays for Sure compatible subscription services on the market. Offering the same 400,000-song capacity as PassAlong, Wal-Mart is able to offer the best prices due to its corporate structure. Wal-Mart does not offer a free trial.