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General discussion

Totally new need a lot of help.

Oct 18, 2005 12:52PM PDT

I just bought my daughter an mp3 player. It is going to be a Christmas gift so I have 2mo to get ready with the songs and all.
The mp3 I bought is a CRAIG model CMP1329. $50.00
It says:
256mp - 4 hours of music
mp3/wma compatable
DRM included
ID3 title
OK here are my questions:
1)Can I download music directly onto this thing? I don't have any CD's.
2)Which sites are good to download from and how do I know if they are compatible with this MP3 player?
3) Do the sites give you directions on how to get started?
I'm totally new to this and not realy that techno savvy. Any advice you can give would be appreciated. Thanks Moe

Discussion is locked

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where to download music
Oct 23, 2005 10:05AM PDT

OK Since noone has answered my post I've been doing a lot of reading. I think the mp3 player I have will be ok. I don't need anything too fancy. So I've looked into some places to download music and these 2 both got 5 star ratings. They both have about a $20.00 fee to use them for 2 years with unlimited downloads so... does anyone have an opinion on which one. Or is there a better place to download music? All replies welcome.

http://mp3musiclive.com/index.asp?PID=8ff8dd4f-d475-4e1c-89dd-10bda122617a
http://www.247downloads.com/

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Be very careful
Oct 24, 2005 6:01AM PDT

The first site on your list is just a gateway for Peer To Peer (P2P) file sharing network.
You will likely run foul of copyright laws and ownership if you go down this route. Limewire and eDonkey are wonderful ways of "stealing" music and gaining virus's. Unless you own the copyright of any music, talk or video, you do not have the right to redistribute it.
24/7 is the same. they even have a "disclaimer" on their front page asking you not to do anything illegal. Yeah, Right!.
Your best bet for music for this device you purchased, is the CD's that you already own. Rip them to your computer and put them on the device.
You could also try any of the other on-line music stores but you have to pay for them

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Upload vs download
Oct 24, 2005 11:26AM PDT

I thought it was only illegal to upload music. I thought it was OK to download it? I don't have any CD's to use. Must find internet site to download from. Any ideas. How much does it cost for the legal sites?

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The way that the Riaa
Oct 25, 2005 3:28AM PDT

look at it is, if you did not purchase (own) it and you have it on your HD, then it must have been stolen. If it is on your HD and you frequent P2P sharing sites, they figure that you are sharing it.
Legal sites cost around 99c per track. Yahoo has a subscription service, the price of which has just doubled, but I have not tried any of them.

P

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mrmacfixit is right! Beware!
Oct 27, 2005 3:01PM PDT

So even if you pay for a download from "itunes" or wherever, you can still be liable or sued even if you are just sharing the mp3 with your friend or neighbor. The way the RIAA sees it you are ripping them off. They are very ruthless and now with the new laws in hand they can confiscate your computer and players if your suspected, even wrongfully. Then the price you pay is $250,000 per song.

I don't take the chance any longer. If it is a very popular album, I will buy it, so I have it physically in my possession, for proof if they come knockin. At $.99 a song it ends up being the same anyway. Be safe and not sorry. Remember they have the best attorneys money can Buy! They are forcing people into bankrupsy as we speak.

***IMPORTANT***
Read the agreements before committing yourself to one of these sites.

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You Will Still Be Liable Fees and You Can Still Be Sued!
Oct 27, 2005 2:35PM PDT

GOOD NEWS FIRST, BAD NEWS AT THE END ON SITES U LISTED!

I have my player set to stream music from ''Magnatune'' music. Although it is actually a record label, you can listen to full albums. The best part is that although there are some groups you have heard of, most can be excellent ones you would have missed, had you not stopped by their site. Some are so good that I would rather listen to them, than some of the cds, and downloads I've paid for. Whole albums for as little as $5.00 an album. Check out Colridge Taylor, and Jan Latham Koenig if you like Classical. They have about every style you could think of though.

http://www.magnatune.com/

Another alternative is the OGG format, which is better quality anyway. Now that they support the Mac and Quicktime, it makes it easy to hear quality music free of charge if YOU like. You can still upload to your player or record to cds (you may have to convert them to mp3s for some players). Best part is ''None of the music is controlled by RIAA''! Now many groups are offering their music in this way.
Go here and click on ''Music Sites'' for a long list of free sites:

http://www.vorbis.com/

Another important thing is that you don't have to worry about the RIAA breathing down your neck. Most of the time, the money you pay for these other RIAA labels ends up in attorney's pockets, not the artists. No wonder some top artists even say they haven't even seen a dime of the money collected on their behalf, by the record labels and their attorneys. The way it stands now, you stand to lose everything even if it was the neighbor girl that downloaded an mp3 on your computer. To the tune of $250,000 per song. You are considered ultimately responsible for what is downloaded on your computer.
You can be Free of Fear and free of charges, plus download an incredible array of music. Wink

WARNING ABOUT THE SITES YOU LISTED:
These sites are saying they only supply a program by which you can download music. It is still your responsibility to make sure their legal and you pay the fees according this section of their aggreement. Another words you are still ultimately responsible!
----------------------------------------------------
''3. Members Representations and Warranties.

a) As a Member, you represent, warrant and agree that you will:
i) obtain and pay for any and all necessary rights, consents, authorizations, commissions, royalties and/or licenses for any Download Content that you obtain through use of the Download Software and Service;
ii) not use the Download Software and/or Service to transmit or communicate any data that is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, harmful to minors, harmful in general, obscene, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;
iii) not impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state, or otherwise misrepresent, your affiliation with a person or entity;
iv) not forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any data transmitted to other Members;
v) not transmit, access and/or download any data that infringes upon any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any third party;
vi) not transmit or communicate any data that contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy and/or limit the functionality of any computer software, hardware or telecommunications equipment;
vii) not intentionally, or unintentionally, violate any applicable local, state, federal or international laws, rules or regulations including, but not limited to, any and all foreign export laws;
viii) not modify, delete or damage any information contained on the personal computer of any other Member;''
----------------------------------------------------
THIS IS A "COVER THEIR ***" AGGREEMENT! AND
THIS IS ONLY A PORTION OF THEIR AGGREEMENT!

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Why not let your daughter get any music she likes?
Oct 28, 2005 2:17AM PDT

FIRST, no matter what you do, make sure you don't pay for anything with DRM that won't synchronize to the player you have purchased. Try purchasing ONE song before committing.

Next, why not give a gift of one of the music subscription services that allows portable device synching, like Napster-to-Go? (Check Rhapsody and Yahoo Music Unlimited as well to see if they have the capability.) You could pay for six months or an entire year, and your daughter will be able to listen to all the latest of a constantly changing selection.

Most youngsters would rather choose their own music anyway. And actually since they are also pretty tech saavy (or have friends who are), you could just offer the subscription and let HER figure out which one works with her new toy! Happy Of course, price a few first and let her know the budget.

Or even offer to buy her enough cds from Amazon.com to fill her device (say... five). Then you avoid the DRM issue altogether, and she can legally rip her cds and load them up along with her current music. Mention the five cd potential in her gift card.

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site
Oct 28, 2005 6:50PM PDT

Hi,

Nothing to worry if you are new. You can download the mp3 songs from the http://www.file.lt.com. this site has a bundle of songs. you can also search for the songs with mp3 enxtension. simply down load the sons to a local folder and then copy the same to your mp3 player with the help of USB data cable.