MP3 downloads

[AtW]

This is the one to use.

http://allofmp3.com/

Cheap as chips - $0.02 per MB downloaded.

Yeah, its Russian site that took advantage of a hole in Russian legislation and sells MP3s legally -- but be careful as to what credit card you use to pay for their services, I would recommend NOT to use debit card, and best use credit card that you rarely use to be able detect fraud quickly.

[OwlHoot]

Right, what is the best website to buy MP3 tracks without having to register and be a member of some such scam.

I am willing to pay for my tracks (a one-off payment) but I don't want to buy a membership fee. I don't want to register. I just want to select some tracks, pay for them, download them (in MP3 format if possible, but I have a iTunes-to-MP3 converter), and that's it. I also want permanent ownership of the tracks I buy, of course.

What is the best site according to you learned people?

Depending on what kind of music you like, your best bet might be to subscribe (c $5 monthly) to a usenet news server such as www.giganews.com and check the alt.binary.sounds.* groups.

(Here "news" doesn't mean the headlines and that kind of thing. It's just a historical name for the usenet groups.)

These cover most pop styles, classical, easy listening, and various "ethnic" types such as Brazilian, Celtic, etc etc. The main snag is that by its nature this method tends to be "get what you're given", although you can request tracks, and in some groups entire CD/album posts tend to be incomplete.

But the advantage is that it's free, and posters and downloaders are anonynmous (short of checking the news providers' records).

Also, vast numbers of up-to-date ebooks can be downloaded from the alt.binaries.e-books.* heirarchy.

[Lucifer Box]

Yeah, its Russian site that took advantage of a hole in Russian legislation and sells MP3s legally -- but be careful as to what credit card you use to pay for their services, I would recommend NOT to use debit card, and best use credit card that you rarely use to be able detect fraud quickly.

That's what I thought when I first heard about them, but I and a couple of people I know have been using them for most of this year with no problems whatsoever. Still, best to use a credit card just in case.

[AtW]

They are actually legit and won few court cases based on law loophole, however even if company is legit you should never underestimate desire of insiders to make money: it may not be the firm who will scam you, but the insiders or hackers.

[Lucifer Box]

They are actually legit and won few court cases based on law loophole, however even if company is legit you should never underestimate desire of insiders to make money: it may not be the firm who will scam you, but the insiders or hackers.

As long as you use a credit card and keep an eye on your statements it's not a problem. Can heartily recommend these people.

[hyperD]

I get the warning on win2k IE6 platform. Could be you're already infected

Nope, all clear on XP Pro... Adaware, Spybot, Norton etc

I guess you just have to be careful not to download anything from the popups and have your IE security set high.