Downloading music for your personal collection is easy to do. However, it is more than just finding a download link online and clicking on it. There are things that you have to consider before your click on any download links. Read this article to learn the best approach and what to watch out for.

Be leery of downloads that are available for free. Viruses and tracking devices are frequently added to the most popular tunes. It isn't hard to add a virus to the download, essentially destroying your computer.

Always make sure that you download your music from a legal website. If you download music illegally, you can face harsh fines. In many cases you can be fined up to $500 per song. The artists deserve to be paid for the music they make, so download only legal copies of the songs that you love.

You can save quite a bit of money on downloaded music if you keep your eyes open for promotions. Check back often, you can often find freebies as well.

One thing to remember when you download music is that you need to know what you already own. If you don't, you are simply wasting money. You can usually just look up a history of what you've bought on download services.

Before downloading any music on a new site, make sure you read the reviews on that site to avoid downloading a virus. Read reviews that talk about malware or viruses. If there are any reviews indicating that the website has malicious files, you should avoid it. Even if there are no bad reviews, you should still be careful.

A website that offers legal music downloads will usually not have a wide range of custom files and mixes available. This is because they are distributing the music from reputable labels. If the website has a dozen versions of the song you are looking for, you are probably not on a legal download site.

If you decide to sign up for a subscription based site for downloads, make sure to check out reviews on their library of music first. Some might only have old songs that you are not interested in owning, and others might have poor quality downloads. While some are legitimate, it is worth while to do your homework first.

When deciding on a site to download your music from, check out reviews for their user interface. This is especially important if you are a newbie. Some have very complex user interfaces that can be difficult to navigate. Others are more user friendly, and they are a better choice for a beginner.

You have to always pay attention to the size of the files you're downloading. A music file is going to regularly be anywhere between two and five megabytes. If you notice anything much smaller than this, beware. This is usually only going to be a text file and might contain a harmful virus.

Try to only download music from providers that remember your purchases. This way, if you ever lose a file, you can revisit the website and just download it again for free. This is a great substitution for backing up your files, which of course you always intend to do, but never actually get around to.

To increase your free music download opportunities, look for companies that are sponsoring free music download campaigns and events. Companies from Apple to Starbucks give away music as part of their overall brand promotions. It's an easy way to add new music to your library without paying a dime.

Once in a while, even the big MP3 stores offer free songs, so keep tabs on what they're up to. You can sign up for email updates or their enewsletter to be updated when they put up such a promotion. In the end, free is free, so it's worth downloading!

Be careful with free peer-to-peer music download services. Many of these sites straddle the line of legality. What you may be thinking is ok is actually putting you in jeopardy of prosecution if the service is caught and they report on their users. Do your research before joining any peer-to-peer music download service.

Stay away from any music downloads that require a peer to peer client, also known as p2p software. No matter how slickly designed such sites are, they are probably just an access point for music pirates and torrent users. Avoid these, as almost all torrent activity is a legal risk.

With https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm4Zb8L3m3A of music out there and coming out often, you need a service that is going to give you the best availability. You don't want to find out about a song only to realize that it's not available with your service. Look at online reviews, and make sure you choose an authoritative downloading service within the industry. Otherwise, you will find yourself unhappy and switching back and forth between services with your music split up among them.

Stay away from websites that offer free music downloads. Most of them are not only illegal, but they are scams. Some will ultimately force you to download software which can damage your computer and is often riddled with viruses. Other websites are downright illegal and take money away from the musicians.

Check out your music service's store on a weekly basis. There are normally all sorts of music download sales going on. Multiple albums could be cut down on price - some even to half off. This is an excellent way to fill out your library at a discounted cost.

A great way to access music for free is by turning to a web site that works with independent artists. NoiseTrade allows independent artists to get more exposure while allowing users to enjoy music for free. This site helps you support a small artist without downloading illegal content from the Internet.

Downloading music is easy, safe and efficient if you know how to go about it properly. When you do it right, you can create a custom music library in no time at all. All it takes is a bit of organization and planning. Keep this information in mind as you start creating the music library of your dreams.