With the controversy of the decision against Free Online Music websites has brought on a call for reformation from the music industry while the fans want to hear the music of their favorite artist. Many musicians including the metal giants Metallica stood firm in their stance again free online music sites.
Though it is still illegal to download free music without paying royalties to the artists and music labels, there are up-and-coming bands and artists who allow you to listen to free online music. The catch there is they provide their own the music and of course, they give consent to websites to play their music for free. Why do you think they give permission while others are erring about it? For the independent musician it's great free advertising and free image building. And this is especially true for new independent bands and artists. Think about the free advertising these artists get when consumers like you get to enjoy their music for free! It's like a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" type of deal.
So there you go with new artist trends. In my case, I have finally discovered a site, Bandcamp, that allows for both free listening and paid downloading with as little fuss as possible. The soundplayer that you see here allows you to play the album "Mean Business" as often as you wish with no obligation to purchase. There is, however, the option to purchase the album with a 50% discount if you enter the word thistle at checkout. Many sites offer free listening but in order to purchase, the listener is generally sent of to Amazon and so forth. Some 'distributors' only allow people to listen to 30-second soundclips. This is particularly frustrating for the independent musician who want all of their music heard in a manner that gives the listener the 'big picture' of what the musician is really about.
If you are a consumer who has been stuck listening to one genre of music, you can actually browse for free online music and target other music genre. Usually, music artists have their own promotional releases that's made available online for you to listen. With such promotional material, independent musicians get to be recognized and get paid at the same time when advertising companies or websites promote their music. So it actually works out for both consumers and artists in the end....a win-win situation.
Now what if an artist scores a hit song and the public is clamoring for more of this artist's work? For sure this artist keeps his or her own websites where you could browse through and listen to the artist's music. You also have the option to purchase the artist's CDs in the same site. If there is a downloadable music option, go ahead and take advantage of it.
Another perk of listening to free online music is that you get to enjoy some of the promotions associated with your listening time. Most often than not, new artists promoting their new releases are being advertised in most music websites with your chance of winning tickets for free concert. So just imagine a gathering of thousand people to listen to the new artist's music during the concert. At least, this is the ideal situation that both artists and music labels hope will happen.
Listening to free online music is also a way of recognizing the new independent artists as well as already favoured independent musicians. Regardless of the perks associated with it, free online music for the public just create positive commendation to the artist. Further, free online music helps artists and music labels test the waters before taking the bigger risks that come as part and parcel of the music business
This entry is spurned by my long-time irritation that the Australian and New Zealand governments impose a 6% levy on purchases made from the iTunes American store. I have written to both parties on the matter over a period of time on three separate occasions and am yet to receive a response. (!)
Some people have a real dedication to music and the independent musicians too and would want to own every collection of that kind of music. The first place they look for their favorite music would be the internet. There, most people choose to buy music rather than download it online from a free source. I truly admire their ethics and support of the independent music industry. :)
If you decide to purchase music legitimately and also join the fight against Piracy, you will realize that there are lot choices there too. Many of the website who offer to sell music are very legal and do not have any copyrights issue. Also, independent musicians are now able to make the cost of your favorite music very affordable and you might see a lot of pleasant surprise at these websites. If you observe my 'Bandcamp' player to the left, you can stream "Mean Business" in it's entirety....as often as you like. You may also download only the tracks that you wish. Should you want the entire album, enter the codeword: thistle at checkout to receive a 50% discount on the entire album
The minute that most people see a website offering their favorite song or music for free, they instantly forget about buying the music and just end up downloading the music directly onto the system, not even considering doing a virus check. It is always advisable to check for viruses before dealing with either buying music or downloading for free so that your computer is not infected with virus. If the option to buy music is the only one set, your worries about viruses infecting your system reduces as all these websites are the legal ones and you choose to buy the music and not expect anything for free.
Because of these few free music download websites, a lot of music sellers end up to be out of business. THIS is the reason why independent musicians object and various governments have now created some violation rules after creating the copyrights of the songs. When you download music from some free website, it is always referred to as Pirated music.
Many studies have shown that adults that remember a time when recorded music was expensive and more difficult to obtain are much more cognizant and respectful of basic music Copyright Law. They understand why certain laws are in place, and some that are artists themselves have relied on Copyright Law to protect their creative expressions. Copyright Law also allows music and other art forms to perpetuate in the world, and is the reason there is so much variety available.
The music industry has been cracking down on how people get their music recently in response to the increased availability of downloadable music and digital music on the Internet. The music industry was largely unprepared for the sudden introduction of file sharing programs to music lovers, and it has taken several years for them to realize their impact on musicians, songwriters, other music professionals and record companies. Before the Internet, most young people bought CD's, and shared them by simply burning a copy for friends. While this was certainly a violation of Copyright Law, it somehow did not pose as large of a problem as when mp3 players became available making it possible for people to download free music off the Internet en mass through high-speed connections. The music industry has recently started filing lawsuit after lawsuit to stop this phenomenon and put systems in place to make music lovers pay for downloadable music. As was evidenced in recent lawsuits that were filed against those in small towns in middle America, you do not have to be high profile to suffer consequences for violating the law when it comes to digital music.
The industry has been driving hard to try to get the public to recognize that not paying for music takes money away from artists and musicians that they deserve for their hard work. While music is a source of entertainment and a cultural commodity for most, for those involved in creating it, it is a job that they rely on to make lives for themselves. Like any other professional, musicians can't be expected to do their work for free. While the amount some receive is certainly debatable, what is not debatable is that they should receive something. The latest drive to enforce Copyright Law by the music industry is causing a stir among young people. New anti-piracy software is now being put on CD's to cut down on illegal CD copying. The software prevents listeners from burning the CD more than five times.
Teens especially are noting that this will not stop others from discovering new ways to get music. Many adults agree that someone is bound to come up with a way around the software, as technology always seems to find a way to surmount obstacles that prevent free sharing of music, DVD's and other media.
Many teens note that there is an obvious and simple way around the anti-piracy software; all a person has to do is make a copy of the CD once and then use the copy to make more copies. Those invested in the downloadable music and digital music craze feel the anti-piracy software is really just a way to slow down some of the most avid copiers while the industry thinks of a more permanent solution.
Other teens support these new attempts to prevent people from getting music for free. They feel that music is a valuable part of everyone's lives that touches so many aspects that certainly free music or even cheap music should not even be an option. They fully understand why musicians deserve to be paid for the privilege of owning and listening to their music over and over again.
So what are some alternatives to illegally downloading digital music or free music?
There are many services that provide low-cost and virtually free music for professionals and individuals simply hoping to expand their music collection. For those still entrenched in the CD movement, there are some subscription services in development that will allow people to freely share unlimited CD's through the mail at very low cost and without violating Copyright Law.
As more services for downloadable music and digital music arrive on the scene and make a more competitive market, track downloads and album downloads are becoming cheaper. Even major distributors offers songs as 99 cents apiece, and entire albums at cut rates, so even young people can afford to buy music legally to enjoy.
As an alternative to digital music provided by major music providers, reputable royalty free music companies are bringing original tracks of music plus many high quality royalty free music versions of some favorite songs to listeners at affordable prices and sometimes even free. Royalty free music companies such as Royalty Free Music.com offer huge and very comprehensive downloadable music libraries with collections from every genre from classical and jazz to rock, techno, dance and Hip Hop. And with royalty free music, you pay to satisfy Copyright Law upfront so you don't have to worry later about any additional fees. Many royalty free music companies even offer totally free music that is of excellent quality and different from anything else available.
