Legal Downloading

[AngryPaul]

Now I searched for this and I couldn't find anything useful, plus I've put it in here because it is a gerenal question not a strictly techy/musical/debating/farming one.

My girlfriend has become a bit paranoid lately from a few reports of prosecution about my downloading habits. She has asked me to stop illegally downloading songs and albums, and because I love her, I have agreed.

However, I am now reluctantly looking into legal downloading. The only sites I can find that offer anything is the obvious iTunes and *snigger* Tesco.

Can anyone recommend any other sites that offer a wide range of music legally?

Is iTunes any good? Would it be worth my time signing up to Napster?

I am also looking to see what people think about legal downloading and how many forumites actually get their music legally.

[Nuclear Spoon]

Tesco? First car insurance and now this? They'll be setting up a space exploration organisation before you know it...

[Shave]

i saw a report in ! magazine that i-tunes is a rip-off and charges a lot more than other places for songs. but as i don't download stuff i have no idea of where to get stuff.

at least money goes to the artists with legal downloads

[Zoidy]

It all depends on how much you download. iTunes and Napster are good for medium downloading (downloading a fair bit) but not for massive amounts of downloading (far too pricey). Also, iTunes and Napster are only music download sites, you can't downlaod anything else from there except music files. iTunes is about 78p per track. Not sure about Napster though.

[Tweekish]

Sony have one too, its called CONNECT (http://www.connect-europe.com/GB/en/website/static/node23.html) and seems to have a wide range of singles and albums....

I actually stopped downloading music awhile ago, so I havent tried this site out. I dont have a cd re-writer to make copies on now that I have left Uni and I have all the tracks I want for my NetMD.

Coke do one too, MyCokeMusic (http://www.mycokemusic.com/indexFlash.html)... You buy credit (enough for an album or 10 singles) and then pick which songs to download. They were giving away free tracks with cans or bottles of Coke about a year ago. I got some free tracks and they were quite good. The site is a tad flash-heavy though.

Hope this helps!

[seaempty]

iTunes is quite good, as you don't have to subscribe - you only have to pay for the tracks when you want them. With others you pay a monthly fee, or get credits. What's best for you depends on the volume you download. The monthly fee can be better for high volumes. iTunes has a good library, but I'm not sure what format they come in. I think it may only be playable on an iPod, or through their media player which comes with iTues. I may be wrong (and probably am) but it's worth checking what format the songs come in or whichever servcie you use. HMV for example, download in WMA format, which is no good if you want MP3's and haven't got a converter, or a portable device which can play them.

Woolworths have started a download service, and from what I've seen, it appears to be pretty good.

[Garry2]

I buy songs from iTunes all the time. It's great, I just type in the name of the song I want, shell out 79p and it's mine, no hassle.

[AngryPaul]

I tend to download whole albums in one go so I suppose a monthly subscription maybe a good idea, but then again I do go ages without getting any songs, then go on a blitz.

I have looked at Napster and they are offering a free 14-day trial so I might try them - They charge £9.95 a month and as long as I use it often enough I can justify paying that.

Still wouldn't mind some opinions though ;)

[psycho_7]

i would really rather go to my local His Master's Voice and shell out some dosh and buy it the old fashioned way but i do have napster and i must admit i sometimes can't be bothered and do download stuff from napster. naughty me. =D

[basstard]

Napster is, quite frankly, awful.

First you pay the 'subscription' charge to join the service [to be fair, I didn't, but I got 3 free months with me mp3 player]. This lets you listen to the entirety of any track they have on the service, and to be fair, they have a lot.

However, that's just streaming off the internet and you have to be connected to listen.

If you want to download it and put it on your PC / burn it to CD / transfer to mp3 player, you have to pay a further charge [I think it's 99p a track, which is expensive, and 8 quid an album, which to be fair is quite good].

So, two charges for one song = the poop.
excuse me, edited for idiocy and since the pricing system's changed


If I was going to be good and not be illegal, I'd just buy the albums out of Safeways or Tesco's shop, which often do them for about 9 quid, the same price as Napster if you include the 'subscription' fee. Plus you'd get the CD jewel case, unlimited playings, ability to burn it to hard drive etc.

Another option would to just use sites that allow free downloading of 'not yet gone big' artists - sure, it means you have minority artists alone, but some are good. There's loads of links in this (http://www.weebls-stuff.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28288&highlight=free+download) thread.

Hope some of that helps :)



Also, this is off the Napster website - *It is necessary to maintain a Napster subscription in order to continue access to songs downloaded through the Napster service.. So, when you stop paying them all your music goes flop. Not good, especially when it's a tenner a month in the first place.

[Patrick Moore]

Have you concidered purchacing the albums from a shop?

[Garry2]

What's a shop?

I thought they got rid of shops when they made the internet.

[Patrick Moore]

There's still shops. Like www.play.com n stuff.

[Lewiji]

Have you concidered purchacing the albums from a shop?

It's cheaper over the net, I never use my CD player because my PC speakers are better, and I like direct transfer onto my MP3 player without the hassle of ripping it etc.

I have used the Tesco one and it doesn't have the hugest variety, but it is cheaper than buying it in the shop.

[Cjw]

I found mycokemusic pretty rubbish when i used it with a free credit from a coke bottle. Of course, this was ages ago, so it may have changed.

[Twatybollocks]

I'd just like to say well done for ditching illegal downloading. It is becomeing so commonplace these days it is refreshing to see someone trying to do the right thing.

[AngryPaul]

So, when you stop paying them all your music goes flop. Not good, especially when it's a tenner a month in the first place.Thats me not interested anymore.I'd just like to say well done for ditching illegal downloading. It is becomeing so commonplace these days it is refreshing to see someone trying to do the right thing.Thank you sire. Hopefully its just as easy be legal as it was to be illegal. :rolleyes:

[RobW]

Have you concidered purchacing the albums from a shop?

This is what I do.

Shops were established in 1894 by Sir Albert Shop and became popular again in 1968 when people discovered that fighting for things like Englebert Humperdinck's latest track was a bit silly.

Now shops are thriving across the globe with around 6 for every person in England alone.


Plus, when you get music from there it comes with a sexy cover including paper inside it for either reading or cleaning camels with - it's really that useful.

And with the songs comes a circular thin disc which comes in useful if you want to play the songs.

Also there is tapes, and vinyls.


Coming soon: The joys of putting Alvin and the Chipmunks on 78rpm.

[Lewiji]

Also, this is off the Napster website - . So, when you stop paying them all your music goes flop. Not good, especially when it's a tenner a month in the first place.

They can't enforce that-I'm sure that if you move the files elsewhere or rename them it won't happen.

[Cjw]

Apparently if you stop paying all the music licenses run out. Hence when you try to open them, they won't play.

But don't qoute me on that.

[EDY-innit]

Hackie Crackie!
or for downloaded tunes...
Hexie Editify!

[/lessthanlegal]

[Bisyss]

I have to admit, I'm a Luddite. I haven't bought anything off the internet, music or otherwise (yet...).

However, I do know of one site no-one else has said. EMusic (www.emusic.com).
The pricing is $9.99 a month for 40 songs, and 50 songs free for trying out.

[hamsternator]

I'd just like to say well done for ditching illegal downloading. It is becomeing so commonplace these days it is refreshing to see someone trying to do the right thing.
I always try to persuaede mt friends from illegally downloading stuffs, but they just won't stop.
But me? I use iTunes, very cheap and efficent. And a good choice of music.

[pebble_rebel]

Pick up a magazine called "Rip and Burn" that should have loads of details on different downloaders. Or it did when I last read it...

[Al2]

Hopefully its just as easy be legal as it was to be illegal. :rolleyes:
Hahahaha :D

If it were easy, people would do it.

[SPACKlick]

I haven't downloaded off the internet since Napster stopped being free and illegal.

MY brother has a neat trick which is technically legal although immoral. If you have a shop near you called "FOPP" then you cna buy 1 cd and keep returning it in exchange for others, no questions asked and because you owned the music when you put it on your PC you are allowed to have the files ust not copy or burn them.

[Al2]

Not any more you're not :(

[Patrick Moore]

That's not legal. You are allowed a copy of them as long as the copy and the origional are not being played at the same time.

Therefore having a copy on an mp3 player and having the CD on a shelf is legal. As long as you don't make profit, making a copy for a freind is legal as long as you both use them at seperate time.

[Arkwright]

Does that mean that all mp3 players are illegal?

If you are playing a song on your ipod and your computer is playing the same song and someone else is listening to the cd you downloaded from then you have 3 violations according to that rule.