downloads

[willowman]

Which is the best (most comprehensive, safest) site for music downloads please? At the ripe old age of 60 just got an MP3 player and am venturing into unknown territory!

[Fay Mousse]

Assuming you want to legally download music, here is a good article:

http://tinyurl.com/3exrqj

[fo3nix]

The above seems to be a good source.

Note one thing:

Stay away from songs with DRM in them. It'll cause issues later on. For example, if you buy songs from the iTunes music store, then get a non-iPod player (now or later), your music won't work. Stick to non-DRM stuff, frequently as mp3s. Or just use your CDs.

A good article explaining DRM:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_ma nagement

[Fay Mousse]

I have had great enjoyment scouring charity shops and second hand shops for cds - very cheap, and generally the quality is good when copied as mp3.

And perfectly legal. It may be for you, but it is just a suggestion.

[willowman]

Thanks guys. Seems to be a bit of a minefield for the uninitiated. looked at DRM article - sorry but it went right over my old head.
re second hand shops - great idea, reminded me that our local library loans out cds for small fee, could look in there.

[fo3nix]

Quick explanation of DRM:

With normal mp3, it's become very easy to copy music. Record industry doesn't like this, since the old way was very hard to make copies so they've got used to this.

So, they protect the music (or films or whatever) with DRM. This supposedly makes it harder to share music illegally (though in practice the whole thing is stupid since it doesn't, and they need to change their methods and accept the old ways are over).

The problem is that the DRM used is not universal. This makes it potentially very annoying for consumers. Apple (who make iPod) have their own DRM system. Microsoft has their own DRM system they made for the other manufacturers (used to be called PlaysForSure, heard of it?).

It's already happened: Microsoft made their own player, with its own new DRM scheme (not just used their current PlaysForSure stuff). So, anyone that had bought music online with PlaysForSure, then goes and buys a Microsoft Zune player, finds that all their music won't work.

Likewise, all music from iTunes Music Store won't work on anything except iPod. This is ok if you have an iPod, but if the business goes downhill in a few years and Apple stops making iPods and then yours breaks, or you buy a different player, your music suddenly won't work.

And anything you do to break the DRM, so you can do what you want with it, is also illegal.

Short solution: don't buy stuff with DRM in it. This usually means just buy the mp3 tracks online, or stick to CDs.