Music Downloads has become big business online today. With many of the artist losing money to the free sites such as Kazaa and Lime-wire. Over the past 12 months however there has been a new trend developing online with paid download sites that allow you to pay a membership to access music downloads, games and software.

Free Downloads Or Paid

Their popularity is growing even though the free sites still exist and I think the reason for this is the fact that the free music download sites also come with there own set of problems in the way of adware, spyware and viruses.

With the paid membership of a music download site you are assured by the vendor that it will be free of any malicious files as well as cd quality audio sound. With your membership you also have access to millions of files from music, psp games, movies and in many categories such as rock, pop, new age and so on. You also get what you are searching for the first time where as with the free download sites you really are not sure what you are downloading until it is on your hard drive. This can result in a big waste of bandwidth and addition costs to you from your isp.

With the free sites you are taking a chance on what you are downloading and now there is a new concept developed which encrypts the file and you have to pay to have it un-encrypted to play or view the file. To me it now sounds alot easier to use a paid music downloads site and access the file I want rather than hoping to download the music I want and then being held hostage until I pay someone who is not the creator of the music, movie or game so that I can use it.

With only a one time fee of about $34.95 it is relatively cheap compared to anything else you will find including buying your music from a store. You are given tools as a bonus on most of these sites so that you can burn you selected mp3's to disk or convert them to your favorite mp3player. Where as with the free sites you are on your own and in danger of being infected with malicious files.

For me it has to be paid music downloads as I have used these free sites and the time that is wasted and the rubbish that is actually downloaded makes it very expensive in time and frustration.

Another downside as well to illegally and lets be Blunt we all know that it is illegal to do this is that it has been rumored accross the internet but to be seen that people who are constantly downloading music, games, movies or software are going to be monitored and maybe warned and if it continues have there internet disconnected.

I think this would be very hard to do actually but again is it worth all the hassle why wouldn't we just pay the $34.95 for a life membership and not worry about all the B.S