How to Download Music
Rip music from YouTube., Download music directly., Torrent music., Download music on a peer-to-peer network.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Rip music from YouTube.
Visit http://www.youtube-mp3.org/ to find a simple interface for pulling audio files from YouTube videos and saving them as MP3s.
This is a simple way to get songs you want quickly, though it has some drawbacks: the quality of your MP3 files will be fairly low, and the quality of the sound can't be improved if it was already poor on the YouTube video itself.
Additionally, any empty space or non-musical parts of a video will also be ripped.
However, the process is very easy: just paste the URL of the video you want into the text box and click “Convert Video.” This site and others like it exist in a legal limbo of sorts.
The service itself may or may not be entirely legal, but your chances of getting in trouble from using it are slim to none. -
Step 2: Download music directly.
If you join an online community of music enthusiasts at a site without many restrictions on content, you may find the occasional discussion topic centered around sharing albums for free.
These albums usually come with the personal recommendation of one or more other users, so they're a great way to explore new genres or artists without having to sift through a lot of chaff.
The most common way they're shared is by direct download.
Typically, one user will post a compressed file containing an entire album to a file hosting site such as Mega, Mediafire, or Zippyshare.
He or she will then post a link to the download, along with a description of the music, and a YouTube sample, if there's one available.
All you need to do to download the music is visit the address that user provided and click “download.” Be wary of viruses and (more commonly) mislabeled albums.
If you ask for a high-profile new release and someone posts it immediately, it may very well be that you'll download the album only to find it's full of irritating novelty songs.
Always keep your antivirus program on when directly downloading files, and be prepared to roll with the occasional practical joke.
Direct downloads are also the most common way to get music from music blogs.
Be aware that over time, download links on music blogs tend to “die” as they're policed by file hosting sites and removed. , One of the most popular ways to get music is through torrenting.
To torrent music, you need a program that can read torrent files, and the proper torrent file for the music you want to download.
Torrent files themselves only contain directions on which files to download, so they're not illegal per se; you can find many torrents simply by performing a web search.
There are also special torrenting communities like What.CD that offer vast private collections of music that's sometimes unavailable anywhere else, but entry into these communities is strictly controlled.
Most people will have to make do with general torrent libraries.
Once you download the torrent file, it should open automatically in your torrent program.
If there are enough seeders (people sharing the album), your copy should download quickly.
Check to be sure you know where your torrents download so that you don't lose track of any of them.
Outside of private torrenting communities, torrenting music is better for acquiring older and more mainstream releases than for newer and underground releases.
Once your torrent finishes downloading, it's considered polite to become a seeder yourself by leaving the program running.
You don't have to if you don't want to, but it does help other users get the music more quickly and easily. , Peer-to-peer networks require a special program to interface with.
Many of the most popular ones, such as Limewire, share the GNU network; among these, your only real concern is choosing the program whose interface you like the best (as the files being shared are identical across all of them).
There are also programs that run on separate peer-to-peer networks, such as Soulseek.
Since you're snagging files directly from other users' hard drives, you'll need to wait until someone with the music you want is online before you can get it; however, this isn't usually a problem as peer-to-peer file sharing is very popular.
Soulseek in particular is an excellent place to find all sorts of music files.
It can even rival the selection of private torrent communities like What.CD at times.
To download most music on Soulseek, you'll need to share some or all of your own music collection with its users in return.
Depending on the client you use, peer-to-peer file downloading can be dangerous.
Always check the file extension to be sure it's actually a music file before you download it, and check the file size to see if it's reasonable for the length and recording quality of the song.
Soulseek, with its heavy emphasis on music, is relatively safe in this regard, but you should be wary no matter which network you use. -
Step 3: Torrent music.
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Step 4: Download music on a peer-to-peer network.
Detailed Guide
Visit http://www.youtube-mp3.org/ to find a simple interface for pulling audio files from YouTube videos and saving them as MP3s.
This is a simple way to get songs you want quickly, though it has some drawbacks: the quality of your MP3 files will be fairly low, and the quality of the sound can't be improved if it was already poor on the YouTube video itself.
Additionally, any empty space or non-musical parts of a video will also be ripped.
However, the process is very easy: just paste the URL of the video you want into the text box and click “Convert Video.” This site and others like it exist in a legal limbo of sorts.
The service itself may or may not be entirely legal, but your chances of getting in trouble from using it are slim to none.
If you join an online community of music enthusiasts at a site without many restrictions on content, you may find the occasional discussion topic centered around sharing albums for free.
These albums usually come with the personal recommendation of one or more other users, so they're a great way to explore new genres or artists without having to sift through a lot of chaff.
The most common way they're shared is by direct download.
Typically, one user will post a compressed file containing an entire album to a file hosting site such as Mega, Mediafire, or Zippyshare.
He or she will then post a link to the download, along with a description of the music, and a YouTube sample, if there's one available.
All you need to do to download the music is visit the address that user provided and click “download.” Be wary of viruses and (more commonly) mislabeled albums.
If you ask for a high-profile new release and someone posts it immediately, it may very well be that you'll download the album only to find it's full of irritating novelty songs.
Always keep your antivirus program on when directly downloading files, and be prepared to roll with the occasional practical joke.
Direct downloads are also the most common way to get music from music blogs.
Be aware that over time, download links on music blogs tend to “die” as they're policed by file hosting sites and removed. , One of the most popular ways to get music is through torrenting.
To torrent music, you need a program that can read torrent files, and the proper torrent file for the music you want to download.
Torrent files themselves only contain directions on which files to download, so they're not illegal per se; you can find many torrents simply by performing a web search.
There are also special torrenting communities like What.CD that offer vast private collections of music that's sometimes unavailable anywhere else, but entry into these communities is strictly controlled.
Most people will have to make do with general torrent libraries.
Once you download the torrent file, it should open automatically in your torrent program.
If there are enough seeders (people sharing the album), your copy should download quickly.
Check to be sure you know where your torrents download so that you don't lose track of any of them.
Outside of private torrenting communities, torrenting music is better for acquiring older and more mainstream releases than for newer and underground releases.
Once your torrent finishes downloading, it's considered polite to become a seeder yourself by leaving the program running.
You don't have to if you don't want to, but it does help other users get the music more quickly and easily. , Peer-to-peer networks require a special program to interface with.
Many of the most popular ones, such as Limewire, share the GNU network; among these, your only real concern is choosing the program whose interface you like the best (as the files being shared are identical across all of them).
There are also programs that run on separate peer-to-peer networks, such as Soulseek.
Since you're snagging files directly from other users' hard drives, you'll need to wait until someone with the music you want is online before you can get it; however, this isn't usually a problem as peer-to-peer file sharing is very popular.
Soulseek in particular is an excellent place to find all sorts of music files.
It can even rival the selection of private torrent communities like What.CD at times.
To download most music on Soulseek, you'll need to share some or all of your own music collection with its users in return.
Depending on the client you use, peer-to-peer file downloading can be dangerous.
Always check the file extension to be sure it's actually a music file before you download it, and check the file size to see if it's reasonable for the length and recording quality of the song.
Soulseek, with its heavy emphasis on music, is relatively safe in this regard, but you should be wary no matter which network you use.
About the Author
Doris Richardson
Writer and educator with a focus on practical lifestyle knowledge.
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