Karaoke Forums

Hello folks,

Who here has experience with the new mp3 download sites?

Just how well do they work, and is the music really yours once you download it or does it become unuasable if you cancel your subscription to the site?

I'm considering subscribing to one to obtain the latest DJ dance music for home use.

Couple of issues you need to address first.

1. Look at the terms of use agreement for the site.  Most do NOT allow you to use the tracks you download from the site for commercial use.  Which means no using in the club.  Contact the site for a written exception to the non-commercial portion for playback in a public venue with appropriate licensing.

2.  Some sites allow you to download the tracks and playback as long as you obtain the proper license.  They generally download tracks that require you remain a member to play the songs.

3. Many of the sites, including those that require you remain a member for licensing offer full purchase downloads that allow you to use the track without any additional licensing.  These generally allow fully licensed MP3 downloads with no further licensing requirements tied to membership.

Read the fine print when you purchase to insure you're getting fully licensed MP3 or WMA files that you can listen to and burn to CD without any restrictions.  Generally, if they allow you to burn the track to CD then you can leave the membership of the site and still play the track.  Again, make sure you know what you're buying before you purchase.

On a side note, I've been a subscriber to eMusic for more than 5 years and had good success with the site getting lesser known artists and unusual tracks.   I have lots of tracks of comedians that I can drop on the audience at a moments notice and music they'll likely never have heard but love to dance and listen to.  It's basically independent labels like Fat Possum, comedy.com and others.  I was also able to finally get permission to use the tracks for playback in a licensed venue from eMusic where I wasn't with most of the 'mainstream' sites.  I use a site outside the US for my more popular music since I couldn't get a similar waiver from the other sites in the US.