Years ago, along with countless millions (and along with more millions right now) I got into downloading music for free over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks like Napster, Scour Exchange, Kazaa, Limewire, and a few others.
I’ve downloaded lots, but I’ve always had a philosophy that downloading stuff as a permanent alternative to buying is a stupid idea. Buying music that I appreciate is a tremendous thing, like buying socks instead of ripping them off.
Many times before, the music downloaded would be good, and then I would go buy the album. Problem is, I have downloaded way too much for me to buy in any single shopping spree. But I’m moving away from downloading and never paying for things. The biggest inspiration is the desire for people to pay me for my own services in my solo business ventures. And so, all this music I like and have downloaded so easily, I’m buying.
Now, I have lots of music I’ve aquired through my multi-year paid subscription to eMusic. Also, many, many CDs purchased and put on the computer (NOT SHARED) into a music library. Plus my paid subscription to Audible gives me about 10 audio books. So all this combines into my great music collection, which, including the downloaded unpaid-for stuff, is just under 40 GB. iTunes tells me that if I played every song through start to finish, it would take almost 20 days, non-stop. I think that’s not including the audio books, those would take probably another month.
So now, as I’m going to eventually delete all the free music as I replace it with paid music, I am going to start building colossal playlists.
My favourite styles of music are classical, flamenco, classical guitar, classic rock, instrumental. And now, I am listening to Adagio.FM and recording all the music I like so I can buy it, including it into the start of my playlists.
Gymnopedie, Die Walkurie, William Tell, Peer Gynt suite No 1 Op. 46, the list goes on and on and on.
I’m also learning. I’d like to learn to play the Concierto de Aranjuez on the classical guitar someday.
May I suggest (if you haven’t already) to make a backup of all your music. An external hard drive works wonderfully.
Take it from someone who knows, losing all your music / pictures / files really sucks.
This is a terrible thought! I don’t remember hearing about this!