The state of online music

A riddle: What happens when a music-loving 12-year-old downloads songs zealously? Or when an elderly 71-year-old lets his teenage grandchildren use his rarely-touched computer? They get sued, of course.

Starting in 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America decided to crack down on illegal music downloading and file-sharing when it became apparent that millions of dollars were being lost. Anyone caught downloading was charged with violating copyright laws and fined anything between $750 and $150,000.

Figures as crippling as those are enough to spook any person into paying for their online music. But despite the potential lawsuits, cash-strapped young people continue to find ways to illegally download music. File-sharing sites such as Napster and BitTorrent used to be the epitome of illegal-downloading technology, but now programs have gotten a bit savvier. There are applications such as freesoundrecorder.net, which enables students to record streaming songs, and countless Web sites that now let users disguise the names of the files they’re downloading.

Many people unknowingly risk copyright infringement when they use such services, even if a fee was paid. The RIAA Web site warns, “Paying for your P2P (person to person) software, or paying for technical support for your P2P software, does not include a license or authorization to download or share any music you desire.” In fact, many companies explicitly state in their fine print that they will not take responsibility if a user is caught.

So how is a poor student supposed to download music without enduring the fear of being caught? Fortunately, along with the proliferation of illegal-downloading services, there’s also been an increase in Web sites that stream music for free. Notable examples include Pandora, MySpace Music, LaLa and Grooveshark. For purchasing music legally, iTunes is always reliable. Or you can kick it old school and buy a CD.