Download Music Online

Pay Download Services

Buy a single song, or download an entire album.

• iTunes is the biggest name in online music downloading. Enjoy any song for 99 cents. They've even branched out into audiobooks, music videos and television episodes.
• Buy.com offers downloads for as little as 79 cents. They offer the option of downloading individual songs or entire albums at a reduced price.
• eMusic specializes in independent artists and labels. Monthly plans start at $9.99 for 40 downloads.
• Napster sells individual songs for 99 cents, along with providing subscription options, but allows you to listen to any song five times for free.
• Rhapsody focuses on providing streaming access to its library of songs, but it also allows users to download favorite songs for 89 cents each.

Download Music Online For Free

• iTunes offers a weekly free download.
• Download.com claims to offer 75,425 free MP3 files.
• Amazon.com provides a small selection of free music.
• It seems like everyone in music has a MySpace page, and you might find a free music download while learning more about your favorite band.
• Miscellaneous - Check the website of your favorite band for free downloads, especially when they're about to release a new album. Radio stations may offer an occasional free download to draw listeners to their online presence. Free downloads are great for generating buzz for a band, so you can potentially find them on almost any music-related site. You may have to sign up for an email newsletter or otherwise join the site before they'll allow you to access the free content.

"Free" Downloads

Some sites offer free online music downloads, but require you to sign up for special offers or download games and plug-ins before receiving your songs. These can be good deals if you remember to cancel your trial subscription or really want another credit card, but often "the catch" makes the deal more trouble than it's worth.

Promotional Downloads

Music downloads have become so popular, they're often used as promotional gimmicks. "Buy a 20-ounce drink and win a free music download" or "Subscribe to this magazine and receive 15 free downloads." If you're interested in downloading music, keep your eye out for such promotions, but remember - it's not a good deal if you weren't going to buy the product in the first place. Still, if the difference between having to pay a dollar for a song and getting it for free is remembering to look under your bottle cap, then why not take advantage of the deal?

Things To Consider Before Downloading

Connection Speed

Naturally, the faster your connection, the easier it will be to download music. It's not impossible to download songs over a dial-up connection, but it will take longer. If your connection drops or you have a problem with the downloading program, you may have to start the process all over again, taking even more time. Still, if you set up a few downloads and then go about your business, you'll get the job done eventually.

File Formats

Before downloading any music file, pay attention to its format. You also need to know what types of files your computer programs and/or portable music players can play to avoid a disappointing experience. There are several different file formats typically used for storing audio and something that plays on your computer in Windows Media Player may not play on your iPod.

Location

Think twice before downloading music on a computer away from home. Downloading music at work is usually frowned upon if not downright forbidden. Is it really worth getting fired to hear the new Madonna track? Some colleges and universities have enlisted similar limits to preserve bandwidth and to avoid the potential legal problems of students downloading music illegally on campus computers. Even if you're just visiting a friend or family member, you don't want to download something to their computer without asking, even if it's a seemingly innocent object like a music file.

Legal Issues

When downloading music, stay legal. In the late 90s, when downloading music first became a possibility, there was a certain sense the Internet was a free-for-all. People, especially college students, had access to high-speed connections like never before. Files once taking an hour to download could be accessed in mere minutes. What better way to use this capability than to download hundreds of large music files? They soon found out the question should have been, "What better way to get sued than to download hundreds of large music files?" The original incarnation of Napster was one of the biggest players in the file-sharing game, but they were nearly destroyed by lawsuits brought against the owners by the RIAA. From time to time, you still hear about individual users being tracked down by record companies or artists and sued for misappropriation of music. You might not think one song matters, but ultimately, when you download music that wasn't meant to be available for free, you're stealing from the artist and the record companies.

Related Music Links

• Downloading Legal Music
• Downloading Music - File Guide
• Free Music
• Kazaa Free Music Download
• Limewire Free Music Download

By Lorie