October 6th, 2009 7:58 am
Nobody I know buys CDs anymore. We all have iPods or other MP3 players, so we need all our songs in digital format. We get all of them online, and no longer have to pay gobs of money for 14 songs we don’t want just to gain access to the one we do like. Obviously, this is a much better system for consumers. Artists and the recording industry are adapting as well, which is why there are so many places to get cheap or free music downloads these days.
To be clear, I’m not talking about illegal P2P file-sharing sites here. Those types of places abound, and whether you use them or not is your own choice. But just be aware that you’re violating copyright laws when you participate in those kinds of schemes and can be sued or even prosecuted. Record companies have already won numerous well-publicized judgments against people who shared files illegally, so there’s always a chance you might get caught.
Anyway, let’s get back to the perfectly legal cheap or free music downloads that you can find online. First, on the cheap side of things, there are sites like iTunes or Napster. Most people are familiar with iTunes, of course, as this is the online store run by Apple to provide songs to iPod owners. On iTunes, you can buy virtually any song you desire for $.99, and there are even a lot of completely free music downloads too. The freebies are mostly from lesser-known bands that want to develop a following, but some major artists provide songs at no charge as well.
Napster and a few other websites offer a different model than iTunes, but still allow customers to enjoy cheap or free music downloads. In this case, you pay a flat monthly membership fee, thereby granting you access to Napster’s entire library of songs. The catch is that you can only listen to these tunes through your computer while you have an active membership. If you want to transfer the songs to a portable player, you need to pay an extra fee. As with iTunes, there are some free music downloads to be had, mostly for promotional purposes.
No matter which service you join, you’ll be able to choose from millions of tracks in every genre imaginable. You’ll find all your current favorites, as well as oldies and up-and-coming hits. One of the biggest advantages of joining a subscription service is that you can browse through as many tunes as you like and discover great new bands along the way.
With all the cheap and free music downloads available online, you’ll be able to fill your portable MP3 player with thousands of top titles for a fraction of the cost of CDs. Isn’t the digital revolution a thing of beauty?
Tags: free music downloads