downloading legal music
Visit this site
for a list of legal music on the web:
http://www.campusdownloading.com/legal.htm
FAQ:
How do I know what’s legal and what’s
not when it comes to copying music?
Here’s the bottom line: If you distribute copyrighted music
without authorization from the copyright owner, you are breaking
the law. (Distribution can mean anything from "sharing" music
files on the Internet to burning multiple copies of copyrighted
music onto blank CD-Rs and selling or giving them to others.)
Is it illegal to upload music onto the Internet even if I
don’t charge for it?
Yes, if the music is protected by copyright and you don’t have
the copyright holder’s permission. U.S. copyright law prohibits
the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted creative work
whether or not you charge money for it.
What will happen to me if I get caught illegally copying or
distributing copyrighted music?
Under federal law, first-time offenders who commit copyright
violations that involve digital recordings can face criminal
penalties of as much as five years in prison and/or $250,000 in
fines. You could also be sued by the copyright holder in civil
court, which could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars
more in damages and legal fees.
Am I breaking the law if I upload or download copyrighted
music and leave it on my hard drive for less than 24 hours?
Reproducing or distributing copyrighted music without the
permission of the copyright holder is against the law regardless
of how long you hold on to the music.
Is it legal to post music that is no longer "in print"?
Copyrights don’t last forever. Eventually all creative work
becomes part of what is called the public domain—at which point
anyone and everyone is free to copy and distribute it as they
please. But just because a particular recording has gone out of
print doesn’t mean its copyright has lapsed. If it hasn’t, then
you need to get permission from the copyright holder before you
post it.
How do I know if something is copyrighted?
When you buy music legally, there is usually a copyright mark
somewhere on the product. Stolen music generally doesn’t bear a
copyright mark or warning. Either way, the copyright law still
applies. A copyrighted creative work does not have to be marked
as such to be protected by law.
Doesn’t the First Amendment give me the right to download and
upload anything I want, including copyrighted music?
The answer is, no, it does not. What copyright law prohibits is
theft, not free expression.
