Thursday, March 19, 2009

Music Download Sites

Finding the right music download websites used to be somewhat of a challenge. You see, traditionally there are two kinds of music download sites – the good ones and the legal ones. The big record labels, you see, have not wanted you to download music online. As a matter of fact, historically anytime they find any of their artists on a music download site, they will try to get it shut down. They are trying to protect their interests, preventing music piracy which can cut into business. The problem is that the Internet goes on anyway. People want to go to music sites and share music files, and one way or another they will be able to do this.

In the meantime, however, independent music download sites have flourished. The great thing about the Internet is that it has really shifted things away from commercial music. The big radio stations, it is true, are still controlled by a few large media corporations who put profits ahead of art or honesty, but it really matters less and less nowadays. People can go onto the web and listen to almost anything they want to. Among the music download sites available nowadays are places like MySpace where bands can share their music with their fans, getting a taste of the songs for free. Music downloading, apparently, is only bad news for the extremely big musicians. For the rest of us playing the music game, It is the best thing that has happened in years, and that is no lie.

All the sites for free music downloads have really showed the industry that it has to keep up with the times or face financial ruination. Up until this point, the music industry has used digital rights management or DRM, as well as extremely expensive litigation, to keep people from file trading online. Nowadays, however, they realize that if they want to keep the youth market, they have to make their songs available on music download sites. Music downloading sites are getting easier and easier to use, including more and more music, and costing less and less to subscribe to nowadays. It is amazing how much the available technology changes the culture around it. We are witnessing  the single biggest revolution since Gutenberg invented The printing press. I don't think that anyone knows where it will go from here, but its effects on phenomena like music download sites and news reporting has already been substantial.

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