The Big Issue

Music downloading on the Internet is now undergoing a major transition.

The recording industry has been busily cracking down on illicit file sharing and record companies have begun selling their musical wares through legitimate online music stores, typically for between 30 and 80 pence per track.

Many P2P networks are still operating. Some of them distribute copyright-free music from bands that have yet to sign record deals, but the bottom line is that most shared music files are pirated, so how do you stay on the right side of the law?

Even if you take the view that record companies and musicians are already making too much money and you can't see the point in paying them for material that's available for free, you might want to think about the harm it could do to your PC.

When you download a file from a P2P network you have absolutely no idea of what it contains.

It could be the music track you've been searching for, but equally it could conceal a virus, 'worm' or 'Trojan' program, designed to corrupt or infiltrate your operating system, seek out passwords, banking details or personal information

It might even be a message from Madonna, berating you for stealing her music. The point is you are playing with fire and there is a good chance you'll get burnt. If that doesn't worry you then the risk to your bank balance might.

Play Legal Quotes

David Arnold, Composer and Producer "I am pleased to support the AOL Play Legal campaign. As a composer and producer I think that more people should be made aware that music isn't necessarily free."

If you don't think illicit downloading can be monitored, then think again. It can, as a number of heavy-duty file sharers have found to their cost.

Large numbers of pirated tracks on a PC turns it into a magnet for other P2P network users and the traffic it generates makes it easy for record industry investigators to them track down.

At best, sharers can expect to receive a strongly worded request asking them to desist but some get no warning, just a summons to court, or a demand from record companies for royalty payments.

There have been a number of very well publicised cases - including some in the UK - where the bill has come to several thousand pounds for each offender! Of course you might get lucky, limit your downloading to a few tracks and slip under the radar, so here is something else to think about.

By downloading pirated music you are making it harder for present and future generations of musicians to get a foot on the recording ladder.

Record companies, faced with falling profits, will inevitably cut back on their investment and take fewer risks on new talent, particularly anything outside the mainstream and guaranteed to recoup the investments.

Unless piracy is brought under control, there is a very real prospect that it will seriously damage the very market it depends upon.

And if you still need convincing then it is worth knowing that many pirate tracks are recorded or ripped at high compression levels, which means they are poor quality, compared with downloads from legitimate sources.

Illegally shared files might be free but what's the point in listening to noisy or jittery music?

© Rick Maybury