This website was started when I tried to explain to my teenage kids the legalities of downloading music.Whether it is downloading free mp3 files from P2P file-sharing sites like Kaaza and Morpheus or swapping files with friends via e-mail, instant messaging, or some other presumably harmless means. It soon became apparent that I was ill-equipped to provide my kids with the FACTS OF DOWNLOADING MUSIC!! (See The Short Answer)

Frankly, I was more prepared to answer the question, "Where do babies come from, Daddy?", a daunting task to say the least. I mean, is anybody ever really ready for that?  Not so fast, "Is downloading music legal?" is no walk in the park either. So off I was on a major excursion to answer this New Age( as opposed to the Age Old) question.

This would be easy, I thought, I love music and surfing the Web. Several hours later and armed with new data and tons of "facts", I was more confused than ever. Talking to friends, family, and people in the music business, I soon found out that I was not alone. So onward and forward with head down, I went charging forward. Soon it was apparent that there was a little Black, a little White, and a whole lot of Gray. So lets begin with the White; there are a dozen or so fairly popular legitimate sites that have the proper licensing agreements and therefore comply with copyrights such as Apple iTunes, Walmart, Napster, Real Rhapsody, to name a few. These will be reviewed among others in the "Legit Sites" portion of this site. Generally these sites are pay-per-song or pay-per-album and occasionally may be of the "subscription" type as well. Also, some of the "Legit" sites may also sell CD'S and other items but our discussion will focus on "downloading".