In recent times the Amazon cloud has been very turbulent. In internet terms this has recently results in large amunts of downtime for websites such as Foursquare and Reddit. Due to this the internet is becoming filled with various complaints of people suffering from reddit withdrawl which common symptoms include boredom and lack of information from the real world.

This is hope however as these symptoms can be abated by gradually easing back into a persons established routine once sites such as Reddit are once again operational. Until such a time occurs it is suggested that a person spends more time in the real world insted of being on inferior sites such as Digg.

Many operating systems, including Ubuntu, CentOS and OpenSuSE offer torrent versions of their DVD distributions. These enable them to lower their bandwidth costs by allowing users to help with the distribution of the files that make up these operating systems!

(http://mirror.centos.org/, http://software.opensuse.com/, and http://www.ubuntu.com/)

Download out of copyright films via http://www.publicdomaintorrents.com

This website provides you with access to out of copyright content, such as films in loads of different formats. There isn’t a central repository through, so it is best to stick to recently added content.

Download Bootleg Friendly music via http://bt.etree.org/

This website hosts live recordings of bootleg-friendly artists in the FLAC format, which is lossless, and excellent for those who want to listen to the best!

Download legitimate torrents via http://www.legittorrents.info/

This website hosts a whole range of different freely available torrents for people to download and use.

TorrentFreak is well known for its up to date coverage of the BitTorrent scene, but the site also has its own tracker and regularly features legal downloads like the official BitTorrent release of the movie The Corporation.  TorrentFreak is available at http://www.torrentfreak.com/

File sharing in general is legal and there is nothing wrong with it. Software like FrostWire itself is legal to use and have on your computer. It is how the software is used that causes legal troubles.

If you use a file sharing application (such as FrostWire) to download or upload copyrighted material with the holder’s permission, then that is illegal. It is legal to download or upload any type of file on a file sharing network as long as you have permission from the Copyright holder.  If you do not have permission from the Copyright holder, then you would be committing Copyright Infringement by uploading or downloading that material.

How do I know if I have permission?

The majority of files cannot be shared without directly contacting the Copyright holder and asking for permission. With that being said, there are exceptions. Any work that is in the Public Domain may be shared freely. Work that is licensed by Creative Commons or any similar license is legal to share. If the work isn’t in the public domain or licensed for sharing, then you would need to contact the Copyright holder and ask for permission.

Copyright holders of popular music will never allow their music to be shared online freely because of the potential revenue lost. Record companies, RIAA, and the MPAA often sue people who commit Copyright Infringement for this reason. If the music is shared online without their permission, they are losing money.

When is it okay to share?

It is perfectly legal to share anything in the Public Domain, or work that has an appropriate license for sharing such as Creative Commons, GPL, etc. If the work is not licensed for sharing or in the public domain, you should only share it if you have written consent from the Copyright holder.

So, is the software legal or not?

Let’s look at it like this: a gun is legal with restrictions. It is legal to own and carry a gun. It is also legal to have and use file sharing software. It is not legal to kill a person with a gun. It is not legal to share copyrighted material without permission.

The software itself is legal, and the gun itself is legal. It’s how they are used that brings legal and criminal concerns.

I originally published this on my personal site, here, but I thought I’d share it with the Triond Community, too! Feel free to visit my personal site.

Various websites and computer programs let you browse and download free MP3s. With CD prices in most retail stores ranging from $10 to $20 and online music sites selling downloads at around $1 per song, free MP3 sites have become popular as an alternative to purchasing music. Legal and ethical issues come into play, but there are some legitimate ways to access free music on the Internet.

History

Free MP3 music downloading effectively began in 1999 with the launch of Napster. The peer-to-peer file-sharing network was revolutionary. Users were allowed to swap MP3 music files online, obtaining songs and albums for free rather than purchasing music. Napster became the flagship of free music downloading. However, Napster was soon mired in legal problems.

Legal and Ethical Issues

Peer-to-peer file-sharing programs like Napster disregarded copyright laws and took away millions of dollars in potential profits from record companies and musicians. Illegal downloading meant fewer record sales and less revenue for artists and the companies representing them. Proponents of Napster and file sharing argued that record companies and bands did not need to be greedy about sharing music and defending copyrights. There was also the argument that unheard-of artists benefited from increased exposure. In Napster’s case, the arguments would not hold up in the courts. Napster was shut down and ordered to pay millions in restitution for violating copyright laws.

Filling the Void

Several websites and programs appeared to fill the avoid after the demise of Napster. Kazaa emerged as another file-sharing client, but viruses and spyware hidden in many downloads marred its reputation. Kazaa also would be shut down. These failures and complications led to the development of legal methods of downloading music online.

Legal Music Download Sites

Some websites allow you to download from a section of free MP3 music in addition to purchase songs from a larger catalog. The iTunes store is one a leading source of music on the web. You can find just about any artist in the iTunes catalog and pay a download fee per song or album. iTunes also offers a free download section where you can browse MP3 songs from popular as well as emerging artists. Amazon.com features a large catalog of songs for purchase and a limited selection of free MP3 music downloads. BuyMusic.com is another website with a free sample subdirectory featuring songs from undiscovered and breakthrough artists.

File Sharing

Despite the fall of Napster, peer-to-peer file sharing is not dead. The current program of choice is Limewire. For those who want free access to virtually any song by any artist, Limewire is the ultimate in free MP3 music downloads. Limewire lets users swap music files over the internet, allowing people from all over the world to share MP3s from their personal collections. Still, Limewire has its drawbacks. PC users often deal with virus problems. Downloading from unknown sources always poses a risk, and some music files may contain viruses that could harm your computer. Mac users do not have to worry about this because there are virtually no viruses written in coding for Mac computers. The legal and ethical debates of music copyrights also apply to Limewire. According to iSkySoft, the company has gone to battle with major record labels in the courts, maintaining that Limewire is only a piece of software and that the company cannot be held liable for how people use it. As of 2009, a final decision on the legality of Limewire has yet to be reached.

Significance

Should music be shared for free online or is downloading going to destroy the music industry? There are valid arguments on both sides of the debate. Many artists are adapting by making their albums available for free on their websites with the option of paying a small fee for download if fans feel compelled to contribute. Popular bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have done this with immense success. Myspace has also established a new way for music enthusiasts to listen to their favorite artists for free on the internet. No matter what the courts decide, it appears that free MP3 downloading is here to stay in one form or another.

Yes indeed it is illegal.I personally don’t think all so high about it being that way though.Also any other music sharing or file sharing programs like that are usually illegal.

Why

They usually get music and movies before their air date.And of course they share them with the world and people get just a little mad when 1/4 of the population already has the movie out a month before its first premiere.Also i just suppose those rich bastards that make so much money from rhapsody and itunes don’t want you to get their music for free, so yea…

Other illegal programs

There are thousands, at least probably more than that out there.But I will tell you the few I know.There’s MP3 rocket,,Gnutella,kazaa,Gnutella,eDonkey2000,Fast track, and bit Torrent.

Am I safe?

Over all I would say you ARE safe, but not completely safe, I’m not saying to go out and use it, it is illegal and you can be prosecuted.Most of the time the users aren’t caught, but there is always that small chance.Also I would not suggest downloading random files from people, their could be viruses in them.Although some do now have ways of keeping you anonymous while using them.

Opinion on legalizing

I think MUSIC SHARING programs shouldn’t be illegal.I think we should be able to share our music that we PURCHASED freely.I mean you can take a CD and copy it and give it to a friend but you cant share it on-line?But I personally think that leaking a DVD onto the Internet and getting pissed when somebody just happens to share it with people.But that’s just my opinion

Legal ways to get free music

Okay there are ways to get free music downloads legally.One way is simply itunes they have SOME free music downloads each week, best way the know about the free songs is to sign-up for the newsletter.Kerchoonz is a social networking site that is solely for the purpose of promotion upcoming artists, they allow free downloads of the upcoming artist’s and musician’s songs.