In recent years, everyone has heard about the music industry closing in on MP3 file-sharing websites that allow visitors to download music free of charge. The music industry contends that this occurrence is hurting the financial aspect of the music business. Why? Because people were downloading files for free instead of purchasing the CDs, which caused a reduction in revenue. As a result, numerous lawsuits surfaced and some individuals found themselves having to answer a lot of questions.

Since that time, new websites have emerged that are geared toward providing customers with a paid service for downloading MP3 tunes. This approach seems to be working as the revenue is continuing to pour into the industry and fans are still getting quality music at a monthly subscription rate as opposed to having to purchase an entire CD for one favorite song. One such paid service is available at http://www.mp3.com, which allows users to download MP3 tunes directly onto their player or onto a CD. Even with paid services, some restrictions do apply and customers have to be careful about not violating copyright laws.

There are services offered by Russian websites that offer MP3 downloads for much less than those in the USA. This is because the cost of music in general is much cheaper in Russia and MP3's are sold for literally pennies. While these sites claim to follow Russian law, some claim that they are unlawfully selling music.

Few websites still offer file-sharing services, but they do exist. In addition to the concerns regarding their legality, these websites often lack in the sound quality that legitimate, authorized providers can offer. Any music enthusiast who wishes to download free music should consider visiting the artist's website directly. In many cases, artists will provide a free downloadable track of a new song. Why? Promotion is the key to this approach as fans will be tempted to buy the CD if they enjoy the free track. The best time to check up on this type of promotion is early because they often expire after only a short time.

The majority of MP3 players are accompanied with software that allows for simple download from the computer directly onto the player. Commonly, these connections are done with a USB cable that is connected to both the computer and the MP3 player. When transferring files, it's important to make sure that the MP3 player can support the file format. Every player can read an .mp3 format, but many also have success with .wma files.