Download your Music legally

Recently the ability to download music online has reached fervor pitch in the media and with consumers. With recent controversy over whether or not music downloads are legal, it's important to understand what you are and are not allowed to do.

Music downloads can be a great way to build your audio library. With technology such as the IPod, as well as cell phones that store and play mp3s, the demand for legal ways to download music have grown in leaps and bounds.

The legal download of unlimited music for use on your computer, Ipod, or related technology can be fast, easy and fun. There are a wide range of affordable options available for today's online music customer. Here are just a few popular choices:

ITunes (apple.com/itunes): Powered by Apple, ITunes 6 bills itself as “The best digital jukebox and #1 music download store” according to the front page of its website. Designed to work in conjunction with the Ipod, ITunes offers a variety of choices to suit all consumer needs.

Kazaa (kazaa.com): Kazaa is a free peer to peer music downloading service. Kazaa claims to have virus protection installed, but caution should be taken when downloading from file sharing and distribution services such as this one. Risks aside, Kazaa is a leader in the free music downloads world.

Limewire (limewire.com): Another program that is very similar to Kazaa is Limewire. Touted as “the fastest P2P file sharing program on the planet,” Limewire offers consumers with proxy support, sleek easy-to-use interfacing, an integrated chat feature and much more.

Yahoo! Music (music.yahoo.com): Yahoo! Music offers an unlimited subscription service that allows you to save and play unlimited songs. For only 79 cents each, you can burn songs to cds. Yahoo! Music is an economical, safe choice from a leader in the industry.

Rhapsody (rhapsody.com): This music site offers legal access to millions of songs. Featuring a free two-week trial, Rhapsody costs only $9.99 a month after that. Offering additional features such as advertisement free radio and cool music sharing options, Rhapsody is an affordable option for music downloads.

Napster (napster.com): The original music sharing service that was the center of widespread controversy, Napster has retooled their service so you can download music legally and easily. Napster offers some good free services but in the long run, you will need to pay a small subscription fee to take advantage of all Napster has to offer.

The sites listed above are just a few of the choices available to consumers in the world of music downloads. Before downloading music, always read all the policies and information on the site you are using and make sure you're clear that what you are doing is safe and legal.


Download music legally