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Tech: Legal downloads from the web

14 Jul 06 - 04:32 PM (#1783668)
Subject: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Kampervan

HELP

I want to download some songs from the web. I've registered with iTunes and they have an interesting but limited selection of folk. I've now been told that I can't dowload music from any other music providers into my iTunes library. Is this true?

If so are there any better sites for buying/downloading individual tracks by specified artists?

Any advice welcome.

Cheers

Kampervan


14 Jul 06 - 04:37 PM (#1783672)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Bill D

sadly, 'folk'..even modern singer/sonwriter stuff is badly under-represented. You can often buy CDs from the artists...or, more easily from CAMSCO ....I'm sure there are some sites with stuff other than iTunes, but I cope in different ways, so won't be much help.


14 Jul 06 - 04:45 PM (#1783678)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss

Try
woven wheat whispers


14 Jul 06 - 05:02 PM (#1783699)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Kampervan

Nice one Tom.

Some interesting stuff there.

Kampervan


14 Jul 06 - 05:13 PM (#1783711)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Clinton Hammond

Move to Canada.... Here we can download anything legally


14 Jul 06 - 05:20 PM (#1783722)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Bill D

oh? according to whom, Clinton? Canada doesn't recognize copyrights?


14 Jul 06 - 06:23 PM (#1783780)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Clinton Hammond

File sharing is legal in Canada

Look it up


14 Jul 06 - 06:37 PM (#1783798)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Amos

No it i not true. Any aiff or MP3 file on your system can be added to your iTunes library, and any track of a CD can also be imported into iTunes.

At least my version.

A


14 Jul 06 - 06:54 PM (#1783809)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: katlaughing

Tom, thanks for that link! Looks like a wonderful site!


14 Jul 06 - 07:11 PM (#1783821)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: wysiwyg

Lots of online archives of vintage music. You'll run into links to them when you are looking around here for favorite genres or artists or songs. One, for example, is the Library of Congress, where a lot of Lomax-collected and other material is downloadable as MP3s.

~Susan


15 Jul 06 - 12:44 AM (#1784011)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Zhenya

Kampervan,

I've been using this site for a few months:

eMusic

It's a subscription plan, but much cheaper than iTunes if you can find what you want. (25 cents a track or less.) I always check there first. Tracks are downloaded as MP3s, and you can use them as you like with no restrictions such as iTunes has. One thing to keep in mind – monthly tracks are "use it or lose it" like many cell phone plans. If you don't download your tracks within the 30 days, you lose them. They do have a slightly more expensive bonus pack of tracks you can buy which don't expire – useful if you want a few extra tracks in a month. Right now, they're offering 25 free tracks to try it out.

It's NOT a mainstream music site – you won't find Springsteen doing the Seeger sessions – BUT you will find lots of Pete Seeger's own albums. They have a lot of good things, but you do have to wade through a lot of junk stuff too. They have several genres of music. Read all the details before you decide to join, but it's worked well for me.

Best way to check the site before joining: When the link opens up, scroll all the way to the bottom and click on the fine print link that says About eMusic. This will take you to the main browser page. You can read all the plan details, and then browse through all their music without committing to anything.

Some of the things I've downloaded from them: a Pentangle album, Irish fiddle and singing, Scottish traditional singing, Doc Watson, Chinese erhu (fiddle) music, Renaissance music, Sacred Harp singing, etc.

I do still buy CDs if I want the booklet, though.


Another site I probably heard about on Mudcat and have browsed but not tried yet is:

eFolkMusic


And you can also download lots of great music from Smithsonian Folkways:

Smithsonian Folkways


Re the restrictions you're worrying about. I've downloaded things from iTunes, Music match and eMusic, and added them all to iTunes. I've added the iTunes downloads to Musicmatch Jukebox as well. My own method for dealing with the restricted tracks is to download them to a CD, and then pop the CD right back into the computer and copy them onto the other program as MP3s. There may be other ways to handle this as well – I vaguely remember hearing about programs that will convert things for you, but someone else will have to advise you on that. I don't think you're just restricted to iTunes downloads though.

Zhenya


15 Jul 06 - 06:59 AM (#1784118)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: GUEST,kampervan

Some really good websites there not to mention re-assuring advice. Thankyou very much.

Kampervan


15 Jul 06 - 07:08 AM (#1784121)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Crane Driver

At Woven Wheat Whispers, you can download the full sleeve notes/ booklet/cover/tray insert too, as well as the whole CD for about half the price you'd normally pay for the physical CD. A good deal. And all folk-related, in the widest sense.

And they're now doing free compilation downloads as well.

Andrew


15 Jul 06 - 09:55 AM (#1784199)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: mack/misophist

There have been a couple of recent articles about file sharing in Canada. The concensus seems to be that, while file sharing isn't exactly legal, it's almost impossible to prosecute.


15 Jul 06 - 11:18 AM (#1784247)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Bill D

umm-hmmm...I suspected as much. File sharing is much like porn: lots of ways around 'technical' illegality.


15 Jul 06 - 11:22 AM (#1784251)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Clinton Hammond

I'd like to see these "Recent articles" please, mack.

According to the Federal Court, in a decision issued by Justice von Finckenstein on March 31, 2004, neither downloading a song for personal use nor merely making that file available to others to download from your computer (without some more active sharing activity) amounts to infringement under Canadian copyright law. The court ruled that "the mere fact of placing a copy on a shared directory in a computer where that copy can be accessed via a P2P service does not amount to distribution" or "authorization of the reproduction of sound recordings" under the Copyright Act.


15 Jul 06 - 11:23 AM (#1784252)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Clinton Hammond

What sad place do you live in Bill, where 'porn' is 'technically illegal'?????


15 Jul 06 - 01:12 PM (#1784340)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Bill D

some types, Clinton...I should have specified.


15 Jul 06 - 01:15 PM (#1784343)
Subject: RE: Tech: Legal downloads from the web
From: Clinton Hammond

There's a difference between porn, and assault....

Please don't confuse the two