Billions of people around the world download their favorite songs every month. You may be asking yourself what the problem is with that. Record labels have been sending out mixed messages about music download sites. Where one label says the industry is falling into disarray, another says sales are up. Both scenarios lay the blame on the ability to download music online.

There are several ways to download music online. One way is the peer-to-peer download connection. Peer-to-peer download sites are illegal, and many have been shut down. Aside from the ethical and moral side of stealing music via a peer-to-peer site, there's the risk of downloading computer viruses. The viruses you could download along with your favorite music could potentially be debilitating to your computer.

Another way to download music is via the artist's website. Many artists now put MP3s on their website for your convenience. Usually these downloads are offered at a minimal fee of about $0.99. The average CD costs around $15 retail and holds 13 to 15 songs. When you take this into consideration, the average price per song is at or around $0.99.

If you download your favorite songs from the artist's website or another authorized website, you're getting only the songs you want at the same price. You save money on the songs you want. The company still makes money on the songs you get. It is a win-win situation.

One very popular way to listen to your favorite music while surfing the Web is to listen to a streaming online radio station. This is also a great way to download your favorite songs. Many online streaming radio stations offer the songs they play as individual downloads. Prices range from just a few cents to over a dollar. This is also a very good way for independent artists to become known.

The MP3 player has become more than a neat gadget; it's now a fashion accessory. The ability match your MP3 player to your clothing and wear ear buds with rhinestones or diamonds makes the ability to download music a necessity. Cellular phones with MP3 capabilities are also sneaking to the forefront. Several cordless phones now come with the ability to play MP3s and deliver the music to your cordless headset. Fortunately you can legitimately download the music you want and still save money.

Many websites now offer the ability to download your favorite music at minimal cost. Some sites charge a per-download fee, while others charge a small monthly fee for a number of downloads per month. Becoming a member of these sites is very simple. An easy-to-fill-out application ensures that you receive the tunes you want for the price that's right for your budget. Most sites require your credit or debit card information to purchase songs. If you choose the individual package, your songs will be billed to your card as they are purchased. If you choose a monthly download package, you will be billed at the same time every month. This makes it very convenient to budget your music expenses.

In 2005, Napster UK conducted a poll asking its members if they still buy CDs. An amazing 750,000 said they did not. Buying CDs is becoming a thing of the past. The quicker music artists and record labels realize this, the sooner they will begin making more money again. Imagine being able to go to your favorite band's website and buy only the tracks you want at a decent price. Basically, people are tired of having to buy an entire CD for the one or two songs they hear on the radio. Most people make the decision to purchase a CD based on the latest song on their radio.