Download Music

Music has become a hot commodity on the Internet. Listeners download music daily, while the music industry cringes at the thought of the practice. Some bands release songs on the internet as teasers for their upcoming albums. Other artists attempt to shut down online music P2P sharing of their songs, claiming it hurts their record sales. Downloading music is a tricky business for the music industry, and what it all means is still in flux.

How to Download Music

There are several ways of downloading music from the Internet. Peer-to-peer clients (P2P) such as Kazaa, Morpheus, and BearShare] allow swapping of music files from users around the globe. The music industry claims this is a copyright violation, while fanatic users say it's no different than the digital age version of borrowing a friend's CD. Regardless, the legalities of online file swapping is debatable and best avoided.

With the controversy of online music downloads, several legal music download sites came to the rescue, including pay-per-song services, monthly fee sites, and completely free download sites. These include the ever-popular iTunes, Napster and CNet's mp3.com. Legal music download sites offer an enormous selection of music conveniently at your computer. Prices hover around $.99 per song, cheaper than buying a CD.

What Music to Download

With more music available to listeners from around the world, a sudden deluge of songs become readily accessible. How do you choose what to listen to? A number of music rating services and music blogs have arisen to give you personalized recommendations. Like the Smashing Pumpkins? Maybe you'll like the White Stripes as well.

For a good start on rated music, try RateYourMusic.com. This online community service has many users from around the world listening and rating their songs. You can also search for music-related blogs on any good search engine. Find someone who has a similar taste in music and follow his or her recommendations. You might discover something refreshingly new! Internet streaming radio stations like Pandora and LastFM can also help listeners discover new favorites based on their current preferences.

How to Listen to Music

After you download music, you'll need to listen to it, right? If you've got a good set of speakers on your computer, all you need is a reliable music player. Winamp seems to be the most popular, while the little application 1by1 is stirring some interest as well. Most Windows and Macintosh computers come with a built-in music player, though most users prefer something more customizable that's lighter on resources.

To take your music on the go, you'll either need a digital music player or the capability to burn your music onto CDs. Both are easy ways to listen to music wherever you are. Most newer computers come with CD writing capabilities, so all you need to do is buy a few blank CDs and create your own mix.

Digital music players are much more expensive than CD players but have the advantage of holding hundreds (or thousands) of songs at once. They're smaller and less likely to skip if you're exercising while listening to tunes. The most popular digital music players are the iPod, the iAudio line of players, or the Zen Creative line.

Download Music For Yourself

Downloading music is an increasingly popular way to get music. As the music industry becomes more friendly to this practice, finding legal ways to get the songs you want while supporting your favorite artists will become even easier. Use the community resources here at LoveToKnow Music to find everything you need to know about listening to and getting the best music!