The Present of Online Music Downloading
The present of online music downloading is still defined by its past. Ever since Napster was started, online music downloading has become widespread. And it became even bigger with the dawn of the mp3 players and iGadgets. Now, many methods of downloading music have been developed to make life more convenient to customers. The most commonly used of all these downloading methods may probably be the P2P.
Torrent
P2P, or peer-to-peer, is a type of internet networking wherein files are made available online for sharing among different users. It works by allowing one user to download a file from several other users, making downloading faster. As the downloader becomes a part of the network, he begins uploading files as well and contributes to someone else’s download. The most common download procedure utilizing the P2P method is torrent, which probably have been tried by every audiophile out there at some point in his life.
The use for torrent becomes more inviting when you consider the fact file sharing is free using this. Because of this, even more users are encouraged to use torrent. In turn, file availability becomes bigger, attracting even more users to participate in the network. The bigger inventory of available files, plus the faster download time, as well as the free downloads, made torrent the big internet hit that it is today.
Music Streaming
More recently, online music programs have included another service –the online music streaming. The program is starting to become popular as well because of the convenience of its features. For one, gadget memory space is not a factor in music streaming as everything is stored online. Even music albums and libraries can be stored online and be accessed anywhere! Who wouldn’t want that, right?
To put icing on the cake, depending on the service and the service provider you have, you can play songs from your online account straight to your iGadget or any mp3 player. How cool is that? Give it time and music streaming may be as popular as music downloading.
Lately, music downloading has faced a setback. Downloading cannot be done with the same liberty as it had before. Many movements and bills are already in place to stop mass online file sharing. Mostly, these will affect the commonly used free torrent websites.
With this impediment, will the future of online music downloading be in jeopardy?
The future of Online Music Downloading
Rise of Legal Torrents
Most of the torrents available now –those that share music for free –will be deemed illegal if the bills are passed. The bills will try to protect the copyrights of all artists and, as such, free copying, sharing and distribution of files may not be allowed.
Fret not, audiophiles. There are many torrents available in the internet right now which will still be legal even with the proposed bills. They are not so popular currently because most require some fees for you to be a part of them. Because of the fees, fewer users are participating and thus, fewer files are shared. The fees, the number of users and the low availability of files turn people off from using these torrent websites.
However, with the bills, people will be forced to use these websites, increasing the number of users and file availability in no time. Thus, those who prefer to download songs using P2P can still use some torrents, albeit for a price.
Music Service Websites
Right now, there are many music service websites available in the internet for music downloading. Examples of these are Spotify, Napster and Jamendo. The main issue for these websites is that songs are not downloadable for free. You either have to pay a monthly, a per-song or a per-album fee. As such, people tend to stay away from these websites. However, with the passage of the bills, people will be forced to buy their songs. The upside to this is that all websites that sell songs sell only original copies. Thus, audiophiles are in it for a treat to high-quality music.
Music Streaming
Music streaming will grow as well. With the fees associated with songs, it is likely that music streaming websites will be one of the go-to websites of the music lovers. While downloading songs from music streaming websites may come with a price, listening through streaming is absolutely free. As such, streaming songs may take the place of downloading songs.
So, there you have it: where the music downloading is and where it will be in the future.
Do you like our future projections? Or do you think otherwise? Let us know and we will gladly welcome your comments.
About Aurora Freegard
