Where To Download Music

[SkunkedAgain]

The years of free file sharing are mostly gone. I'm not a fan of buying songs from iTunes because of the copyright protection. Where can I buy individual songs from a good music database? The other and MOST important caveat is that I want to download songs in a 256bits or higher format. Where can one go for this?

[CAMAN]

Have you checked out the Amazon MP3 store?

[delcecchi]

Google music? Or arrgh, pirate bay, not that I advocate that sort of thing.

Also if you like live music, check out some of the bit torrent trackers like dime a dozen or etree for stuff from artists that don't mind. Especially good for those who like jam bands.

[GatorBait]

I recently found sharebear. Pretty decent for individual files, the whole social activity I axed but other than that works great for what I do. Frostwire has been overtook by junk and the new version allows mostly only torrents which come in full cd instead of individual songs. Umm, I would not promote Pirate Bay, highly monitored by the Federal Gov't.

[ted4887]

Have you checked out the Amazon MP3 store?

x2. Their cloud drive is a nice feature as well. You can access your downloaded files via your phone.

[Whoaru99]

There are many. Just Google "music download", etc.

Bear in mind if you're not paying for the download it's probably illegal. This is not true in all cases because there are some free samplers and such out there. But, for the most part, free music download = illegal.

HDTracks has high res files for download. Depending on your music preference you may find the selection good or so-so.

[SkunkedAgain]

Yeah, I'm only looking for legal downloads. I don't mind paying $2 for a hi-quality song that I'd like to have. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

[GatorBait]

Well, you can hit up Rhapsody, small fee, totally legal.

[delcecchi]

Why would the feds be concerned if joe blow was downloading the latest lady gaga album? The record companies have given up suing individuals, from what I have read. There is a company that goes after occasional people who have downloaded movies that they wouldn't want their friends and neighbors to know they were interested in.

But a FMer wouldn't be watching that sort of stuff anyway.

The dime a dozen and etree sites have pretty much all FLAC lossless encoded stuff.

[GatorBait]

I hear ya Del. The feds are concentrating on the big time Piracy peeps now that are supplying the access points. Problem is, most of the pirates are smarter "tech wise" and are so hidden behind proxies that the feds can't ever catch them. But honestly, it really isn't worrisome today as it was a few years ago. Nobody is actively pursuing people anymore and they are actually in the works of legalizing it as we speak. So whatever, everyone can actively download the songs on their phones through apps now and disect them into ringtones which isn't obviously a concern for anyone, no warnings, no legality issues. Times are changing.

[Harmonica Bear]

+1 for Amazon MP3 store and their Cloud Drive. I am not sure what else is out there, but I like it.

[Whoaru99]

The record companies have given up suing individuals, from what I have read.

Yeah, I've read that too, but just because they stop suing individuals doesn't make it not illegal.

Apparently, instead, they contact your ISP, who in turn is supposed to contact you/send a letter or two advising to cease and desist. Then, if you don't, the ISP is supposed pull the plug on your Internet.

[delcecchi]

Check out google music. Lots of free stuff and so on.

Also you can rip from CD, yours, a friends,or the libraries. Bit rate of your choice.

[Fazerfish]

Been using Fiesta MP3 for years, songs used to be 10 cents each, and album was about a buck..now a song might be like 30 cents? Album like 3 bucks? The price has shot up in the last year, but its still a good deal for a legal site..

[Whoaru99]

Also you can rip from CD, yours, a friends,or the libraries. Bit rate of your choice.

And all illegal copying, afaik, except for copying from your own.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the copy police and turning in anyone. I'm only saying what I believe to be true, potentially for someones benefit, although I have a hard time believing anyone except a very, very, young person doesn't know it. Legality doesn't depend on whether or not you get caught.

[delcecchi]

And all illegal copying, afaik, except for copying from your own.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the copy police and turning in anyone. I'm only saying what I believe to be true, potentially for someones benefit, although I have a hard time believing anyone except a very, very, young person doesn't know it. Legality doesn't depend on whether or not you get caught.

Copyright violations, probably. Not sure if it is criminal, or just civil matter. It is up to the individual the position they take. I was just enumerating the options.

[simple1]

Right now there are not a lot of great options other than iTunes. But you may want to look into spotfly. I know it's popular with a lot of people.

[deadeye]

I use iTunes alot and I like it for the most part. It is what it is but it seems like the easiest way to get music right now. I put off the whole iPod iTunes thing as long as I could but this past spring I gave in when I could not find one CD I wanted at three different stores.

Google music is pretty decent too. I like how my music on it is available at anywhere I got internet. It works good on my android phone and is nice cause you don't have to store it on the device as long as you got a data connection. If you know your going to be somewhere with no data you can load it onto your storage too. It also has a option to sync with your iTunes too.

[SkunkedAgain]

Lots of you have mentioned places to get music, but do they all of options for higher quality downloads? I don't want to pay money for a compressed piece of music. I'd rather buy the CD in that case

[delcecchi]

dimeadozen and etree have music in FLAC form which is lossless.

Can you really, in a blind taste test, tell the difference between a 256kb MP3 and an uncompressed or higher bit rate version of the same son, using the equipment that you would be listening to it with normally?

For instance, I find it hard to believe that, listening on an ipod with a reasonably priced set of headphones or earbuds, a guy of middle age would be able to hear any difference. I sure can't.