Why do RIAA making such big fuss about people downloading songs?
914176
Selling songs is a business. If people get it for free by downloading by the thousands, then how do they stay in business if no one is buying?
783582
you should have told us what you've tried.\nof course it is illegal to share and download copyrited music, but i do understand that some people just can't afford to spend hundreds of dollars on music..  why should they have to go without?  i think that programs like this are a good way to help the lower classes enjoy some of the luxuries that the upper class people take for granted.\ni've done comparisons of p2p programs to include winmx/kaaza, limewire, and bearshare..  most people around here seem to recommend limewire, but by downloading the same files through each i discovered that bearshare had the best results.  it found more sources and had faster download times.\nbearshare does come with adware, but if you run ad-aware after installing bearshare it gets rid of the adware and leaves you with a great free p2p program.
954153
You're soo lazy! It's ILLEGAL to download free songs! So be honest and pay for it. ;)\nDownloading free songs is a good way of getting viruses.\nI download my songs on iTunes.\nI say that's it the Best Music store a around!! :)
26247
A big risk, no.  A slight risk, yes.  There is always the chance of getting caught and you most likely never will.  Music you can probably get by with.  Movies are another story as the MPAA is cracking down on people harder than the RIAA did.  Be careful with movies.\n\nStill most people get caught are caught because they are sharing their files.  You can download just don't share anything.  And always be behind a hardware firewall (a router) if you can.  While you're at it you may as well run a software firewall too (Kerio Personal Firewall is my new favorite).  It also depends on the P2P program you are using, don't use Kazaa or Bearshare.  I like Limewire, it's free and relatively safe and spyware free.  But as always check any file you have downloaded with your virus scanner first.  If you don't have one get a free one from Grisoft, http://free.grisoft.com/
51811
So to repeat the obvious, if its legal, it means you need to pay.\n\nThis always astonishes me, it's like the rest of the world nows something and nobody wants to tell the USA. I strongly recommend www.allofmp3.com for the following reasons:\n\n- The downloads are DRM free\n- The downloads can be CD quality, or if you prefer smaller and cheaper, right down the quality scale to the equivalent of say itunes, but still DRM free.\n- You can use paypal to buy credit, so no need to give your credit card to another site\n- Once you buy, you can download the song again for free, unlike say itunes.\n- It's great value, download a full CD set of songs at CD quality for about $3, or about $1 total for about itunes quality.\n- Huge collection of older titles and European titles, that don't exist typically on the other download sites.
553109
You could mention the price of downloading a song legally - that puts people off\n\nThat kids and teens don't have credit cards so downloading illegally is the only option they have\n\nIf c.d's weren't so expensive to buy people wouldn't need to download
1141367
I have been using Limewire. I haven't had any problems with it. Downloading songs are ok.  I also use Ares without problems. This program places the songs in categories, where you can edit it and move it to the categories u desire. I did try Bear Share and hated it. To me it went slower on my computer to download.  It caused pop ups I believe, but I am not sure.
970217
If you don't upload you are less likely to get into trouble, as people who share (give as well as take) copyrighted music are far more likely to attract attention and get a lawsuit filed.\n \nPlus someone that shares say 1000s of latest chart songs is more likely to be sued than someone who has a small collection of classical and opera music.\n\nBut no it won't help prevent you from getting seen in the first place, just take my word for it you get no privacy on the internet. \n\nBut saying all this, don't stop uploading to p2p (if everyone did p2p wouldn't exist).
900487
If the website doesn't explicitly allow you to do so, that's stealing bandwidth and in many cases illegal (and in all cases, unethical).\n\nNot to mention copyright infringements..
614080
Napster only downloads music that has been licensed through the music corporations.  Where as limewire is people like you and me loading the program and looking at other people's computers / files freely - very unsafe
522210
Getting free songs is illegall. But you are probably say to yourself "who cares" So if you really want some free music download a file sharing program (google search "file sharing") It lets you search for any song in the word, download it in 1 minute, and at no cost. I hope that that helps.
21653
No, they are trying to stop an avalanche.  They can stop a few thousand downloads maybe with lawsuits, but billions and billions of downloads more are going on right behind their backs.  They are idiots.  The P2P Genie is out of the bottle, and no way its going back in.
643877
I agree. If you just want the one song, it is easier to dowload it-- whether you pay for it or not-- than to buy a CD single. And it costs nothing for the record company to post it, so it's all profit for them this way. Otherwise, there is manufacturing, printing, packaging, shipping, etc.
140413
These programs still exist because of the vast amount of loopholes that can be used by a company to promote their product as perfectly legal. And in a way... they are.\n\nIf you've tried to download Limewire within the past few months, you'll notice that you have to agree to not use the product for sharing copyrighted material or for other illegal purposes. The stated intent of the program is to be able to share (non-copyrighted) material across a huge peer-to-peer network.\n\nNapster was shut down because it was advertised as a program to download music, and the program was constructed to serve this purpose. Limewire and other programs are built to share a multitude of files. But most users say they agree to not share copyrighted material but do anyways.\n\nSo in this sense... it's the USERS who are breaking the law, not the program creator.
116502
as far as i know downloading anything which you are not paying for without the authors permission is stilling... itunes and napster are the most know legal sites.
809542
Technically its illegal.  But, ive read many different things.  I've read that its not illegal to download it, but its illegal to burn copies of it.  Ive also read that its legal to download and burn, but you can't give anyone the music otherwise it becomes illegal.  And I know for a fact its illegal to download and sell.  But, if you paid for limewire, I think they become responsible, unless your using a new version where you have to say you won't download copyrighted stuff.  You still can, but it voids them from the law.  \n\nId say that its illegal to download, but I can't get a straight answer from any laws or legal sites.  They all say different things.\n\nEDIT: You can download the songs if you pay for them individually which usually costs 50 cents on up per song.
61529
There are legal ways to use it that result in NO risk.\n\nIf you just download stuff, even illegally, riht now there is almost NO risk.\n\nIf you UPLOAD stuff illegally, there is an increasing risk you will be caught and prosecuted- although RIAA, etc. seems to be laying low right now waiting for a few cases to be settled.\n\nAlso, typically, they will demand a LOT of money, make a big media splash, then settle for pennies on the dollar.