- 997
I have downloaded 6 of these free MP3 songs over the past few months, but my Dad just told me he was not sure if this is legal. Can someone please tell me if it is legal or not?
Is Downloading Free MP3 Songs Illegal?
- Thread starter Skid Mark 33
- 84 comments
- 3,880 views
- 12,486
- CCS
- GTP_Diego
Depends where you downloaded them from. If they're free songs off legal pages, such as last.fm or other sites where the artist has lincensed said website to freely distribute their songs, then it's legal.
If you used a P2P service such as Ares, eMule, Torrent or Rapidshare, there's a gray line with them, but they often are illegal.
If you used a P2P service such as Ares, eMule, Torrent or Rapidshare, there's a gray line with them, but they often are illegal.
- 7,588
- Whateversville
- Flerbizky
IF they are indeed free, as free in the small print says Free, and not free as in DL'ed with uTorrent, then they are free...
Stone Temple Pilots released 6 acoustic songs, as a free DL from their homepage - Yes - free..
Which band released their latest album for free - You _could_ pay, if you wanted to - You yourself had to put in the price at the counter - But it accepted 0.00 - so another freebie..
But yes - If the small print says yes, and you're not on some obscure Russian website, chances are they are indeed free...
McLaren
Premium
- 45,929
- Texas
As Diego said, there's a gray line between certain sites. As I've understood it from online articles debating the downloading of MP3's, it's only legal in the fact the songs are for your pleasure only. However, many also stated, that it can be illegal in some cases if you are to give them out to others, or even if you download an album's entire playlist instead of 1-2 songs.
- 8,707
- Utah
- ceiling_fan
It depends who is calling it 'free.' If it is from an authorized source with the label's knowledge, then no. Think band websites, MySpace, and iTunes. If you're downloading it from a music blog whose author uploaded it to RapidShare, it is not with the label's consent and is thus stealing. It would help if you said the origin of the files.
- 5,987
But its crappy quality and expect you to pay full for the proper version. NIN is doing the same thing.
The record industry is digging its own grave and nailing together its own coffin. There are some surprisingly convincing essays written about the failure of the record industry in the late nineties, which are now being backed by fairly major admissions by top record company execs.
- 24,344
- Midlantic Area
- GTP_Duke
^^^ What he said.
If you have a voucher for free downloads from a commercial site, or if the band in question is giving away freebies - most indie bands do, either via their own websites or various social sites - then it's perfectly legal. The problems arise when you get into people ripping and hosting stuff they don't have the rights to.
- 1,026
- Atlanta, GA, USA
- I Matty R I
ROAD_DOGG33J
Premium
- 14,387
- IL, USA
- holyc0w1
- holyc0w
- 7,956
- BradleyH131
Correct. Things like Limewire, Kazaa, etc can be used for legal transfers. I can put my own created music, movies, pictures, documents in my shared folder which aren't copyright bound and share them over the internet.
It's kinda like banning cars because they have the ability to exceed the speed limit, when it is solely up to the person using the car whether they break the law or not.
It's kinda like banning cars because they have the ability to exceed the speed limit, when it is solely up to the person using the car whether they break the law or not.
- 2,216
- Queenstown, South Australia
- guska_Cryotank
- guska1984
http://www.kazaa.com/us/eula.htmKazaa End User Licence Agreement
Most (if not all) p2p software comes with a similar EULA, and most of them now have built in filters so that they only show files that are verified legal. Of course you can turn these filters off, and ignore the EULAs, but then you are running the risk of getting into some serious doodoo.
- 8,707
- Utah
- ceiling_fan
- 6,977
- old-guy64
Not only is a lot of downloading illegal, getting the music, chord progressions off of some Tab sites where the actual music is part of the Tab, is not legal.
It is only "legal" if you get it from a site where it has been sussed out by some musically gifted individual that has figured out the progression and posted it. Even that is kind of a grey area.
My favorite site, took down all the music, but left all the lessons up.
It is only "legal" if you get it from a site where it has been sussed out by some musically gifted individual that has figured out the progression and posted it. Even that is kind of a grey area.
My favorite site, took down all the music, but left all the lessons up.
- 5,632
- Malaysia
- MuzaffarMusa
Well like everyone just said, there is a fine line between whats legal and whats not. Download at your own risk!
About this topic, isn't this a breach of the AUP? I thought we can't discuss, distribute or even mentioned anything which have to do with a P2P topic?
Shame on you Duke! 
Or maybe i didn't read this fine line in the AUP or maybe i'm just plain dumb
About this topic, isn't this a breach of the AUP? I thought we can't discuss, distribute or even mentioned anything which have to do with a P2P topic?
Shame on you Duke! Or maybe i didn't read this fine line in the AUP or maybe i'm just plain dumb
- 12,486
- CCS
- GTP_Diego
Many websites and P2P programs play the lie of "these are backups of your originals", being something like if you have an album already, but you are acquiring the whole album in mp3 form as a backup of it.
Some even go as far as claiming that LPs, CDs and Cassette Tapes are collectible goods and that the sole fact of putting them in the player will damage them, thus, they provide the ripped songs in mp3 form so you don't have to damage your stuff.
From a personal view, I say that it's illegal when you profit from it. If you're just downloading it for personal use, then you fall in the gray area.
It's not that it's legal in other countries, it's that they will either not persecute it (lack of personnel is the most common cause, plus the difficulty to trace everyone) or there aren't laws against it (because the systems are pretty archaic).
In defence of the whole illegality of it, I have to say that if it weren't for P2P programs and the like, it would be *very* hard for the average Joe to listen to those extremely rare, limited copies of albums the stupid labels released for such a short time, to make everyone go crazy looking for them.
Some even go as far as claiming that LPs, CDs and Cassette Tapes are collectible goods and that the sole fact of putting them in the player will damage them, thus, they provide the ripped songs in mp3 form so you don't have to damage your stuff.
From a personal view, I say that it's illegal when you profit from it. If you're just downloading it for personal use, then you fall in the gray area.
It's not that it's legal in other countries, it's that they will either not persecute it (lack of personnel is the most common cause, plus the difficulty to trace everyone) or there aren't laws against it (because the systems are pretty archaic).
In defence of the whole illegality of it, I have to say that if it weren't for P2P programs and the like, it would be *very* hard for the average Joe to listen to those extremely rare, limited copies of albums the stupid labels released for such a short time, to make everyone go crazy looking for them.
- 5,987
Most of those tabs clearly state that the tab is an interpretation of the artists original work. The RIAA has its head up its ass when it is going after tab sites. Of people who are starting up right now, I think maybe one in ten will last without tabbed music online. It is truly sad that the industry is trying to kill the people it is meant to be promoting just to get the minute percentage of sheetnote sales it thinks it lost from tab sites.
- 5,632
- Malaysia
- MuzaffarMusa
Oh i see, thanks for clearing me up Duke. 👍
But still i don't get this. P2P is supposed to be considered illegal, no matter how they have a license and everything, because its not the original work of the artist (or the artist release their work on the P2P sharing sites, which is highly unlikely....) Well like -Diego- said, if you just download songs for your own use, then i think it would be alright and not get you into too much trouble.
Another question though. There are some artists which has a copyright protected on their CD's (eg. Yellowcards Ocean avenue & Coldplays X&Y) but yet it can still distribute the songs from the CD onto the P2P sites. How does the copyright protected CD's differs from a normal CD?
- 997
Ok, thanks. Can someone give me the adress of a free and legal mp3 download site please. However, if you are no sure then just don't say, thanks!
