First, there were vinyl records and 8-track players. Then, there were cassette players and compact discs. Now, listening to music is as easy is pressing a button on your cell phone or computer. To really enjoy downloading music, be sure to read the following tips so you know what you are doing.
An inexpensive way to download music is to follow feeds from popular music download sites. Sites such as Amazon or iTunes have free music downloads available on a daily basis. Just search for “free music” and a list of free songs and albums will be listed for you to download.
If you come across a little-known website that offers a lot of songs for downloading, find some reviews on this service first. Don’t look for reviews of the music, instead check for confirmation that the site is legitimate and safe to use. If you’re not able to locate these types of reviews, then you’re best served at a different music site.
Consider joining an online forum of music enthusiasts. Many will share their downloads for free. This allows you to explore different genres of music or the latest cd from a known artist without committing a lot of time or money to the task, making it easier to build your library with an eclectic blend of tunes.
Amazon and iTunes are popular markets for finding downloaded music. You can set up a free account and browse songs from millions of artists. In many cases, you can even listen to a small sample of a song before you buy it. This is a great way to access a lot of music all in one place.
You should make sure you take advantage of using the “Preview” option on each track of an album before you download it. This is a good idea for songs that are new to you. That way, you can just download tracks that you like. This can save you money since you won’t need to buy a whole album for just a few songs you like.
Check out the specials when downloading music from Amazon. Single downloads and albums can be bought for discounts, and that is going to save you money. They change their discounts every day, so remember to keep an eye out on a regular basis.
If you are a user of Apple products, you’ll want to check out iTunes for your music downloads. iTunes downloads will give you a seamless music experience across your Mac, your iPhone and your iPad. You won’t have to worry about conversions or where to download the music again as it’ll all be right in the ecosystem you are used to.
If you are worried about the legality of the site you are downloading from, the easiest way to tell is if they charge you for each song. If there are no charges associated with the music you are downloading, then the website is probably stealing music and you could end up breaking the law.
Never download any music without having a current antivirus program running on your computer. This is essential because it will protect your computer in two ways when it comes to downloading music files. First, it scans the file to ensure it is safe, and if anything is downloaded that isn’t safe, the virus program detects this and can remove the virus or harmful file.
When downloading through peer to peer networks, play with your settings until you are getting good results. While they may seem complex and over your head, you can find explanations of what those settings do online, making the process of tweaking them much easier. The more you fiddle, the better your downloads can be.
Always have an updated anti-virus program on any device that you download music on. There are many people who would love to have access to the files on your system. If you do not have a good anti-virus program on your device, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to hacking attempts and viruses.
One way to get a low quality version of a song is to view the music video on YouTube and rip it using software. That said, this method is illegal and you can be charged if you are ever caught. Keep this in mind if you are considering this process.
If you plan on downloading music frequently, make sure you have a fast Internet connection. Slow connections like dial-up do not handle downloading music files well. It doesn’t do any good to have access to tons of legal music downloads when it takes a long time just to download a few.
Once in a while, even the big MP3 stores offer free songs, so keep tabs on what they’re up to. You can sign up for email updates or their enewsletter to be updated when they put up such a promotion. In the end, free is free, so it’s worth downloading!
Avoid downloading music from websites that do not let you test the quality of their music. Some sites claim that they have the highest quality downloads of the music, but when you purchase and download it, it is low quality or edited. Avoid this by only sticking with sites that have some type of “Preview” or “Sample” options.
If you want to subscribe to Google Play, you will need to use a Spotify desktop app to access the music. At the moment, this is the only way to be able to use Google Play off of its website. That said, new apps are in the process of being created right now.
If there is a site that you frequently download music on that offers a membership, you may wish to look into it. Some of these websites offer monthly or yearly memberships for a small fee. That small fee generally lets you download all that you want within that time frame. This may be a cheaper option than just buying individual songs or albums.
In conclusion, music has changed throughout the times. People used to listen to music by purchasing records, 8-tracks, cassettes and CDs. These days, downloading music is the easiest and most popular way to listen to you favorite music. Use the above advice to see what downloading music has to offer you.
