Faster and easier than Napster ever was
The ethical debate surrounding free music rages. Yet in the background, behind all the posturing and arguing, little companies around the world are creating products that make downloading and sharing increasingly easy. Whether they are creating more havoc or pushing the limits of an industry in flux is a touchy issue. But the fact is they're there, and they are winning.
I remember when Napster was in the midst of their legal wrangling. I commented to a friend that we were living in the golden age of the internet, that soon everything was going to be regulated. Well, I was right and wrong. The RIAA has proved that it loves to alienate its audience by suing them. And certainly there are many more (and bigger) pay-per-download sites than there used to be, but for every iTunes there are two Songbeats.
If you used and loved SeeqPod (we used, we liked, but we did not love), then you are going to wet yourself when you try Songbeat, which is a little like SeeqPod for your desktop (with the added feature of downloading any song you find). The program works by trawling the internet for streaming files or hosted files of the song you type in (like SeeqPod). You can then listen to or download the song you've found. So how does Songbeat get around the legal tar pit they've waded into? They have a disclaimer on their website:
If you use the Songbeat download function, Songbeat assumes no responsibility for any copyright infringements or legal issues. Please make sure that you have the right to download the music you have chosen. Songbeat is only programmed to deliver the results of your search, not to check for copyright infringements. Please review our Terms Of Service for more details.
Not ironclad, but not a bad sidestep.
Freemusiczilla, on the other hand, is a little more crass. They provide you with a tool to download any track you can find streaming on the net. Like what you hear on MOG? You can download it. Heard some sweet tunes on Last.fm? Yep. You can download those too. It's blunt and straightforward and may make you feel a bit dirty afterwards, but you're probably used to that by now, so just give it a whirl.
We at Duck & Cover love music, and we love the artists who make it, therefore we love to see the artists making the money they deserve. The issue is a little like talking sex to teenagers: they're going to do it anyway, therefore they may as well know the facts. So just think about the artists when you're downloading their music. If you like the track, maybe you should see them when they tour near your home town. And if they don't tour, try buying their album. Unless it's Metallica, in which case download 'til your heart's content.
Comments
This Videoraptor converts files with good quality? I checked on this site and I saw that it has some interesting features, but I'd like to know how is the quality after conversion