Art by Alexander Hayes
For anyone who listens to music on a regular basis, the temptation to pirate songs is like that of catnip to a a feline. You should consider, however, the consequences that could result if you get caught — it is simply not worth it. On Sept. 4, Jonathan See, Pepperdine Chief Inforamation Officer, sent out an email warning all faculty, students and staff about the legal risks associated with sharing of copyright files. Be sure to go find this in your inbox if you didn’t read it.
With this in mind, I have decided to share a few my favorite alternatives to pirating that will still give you access to your favorite music whenever you want it without having to purchase it.
Pandora: If you listen to music you likely know all about Pandora. The great thing about this is the app. Having music on the go is the main reason why people pirate. When you are in the gym, for instance, you need that pumping playlist to keep you going. If you are a true music lover, finding that next great song is always a challenge, but Pandora usually has something new to offer. The downside about this is the commercials, but in the scope of things, you get far more of those through traditional radio.
Soundcloud: This handy little tool is not only great for discovering new artists and music, but also for listening to those you already know and love. You can create an account and have your custom playlists at your fingertips, enabling you to repeat that new jam as many times as you want without commercial interruption or restrictions. What’s even greater about this is the free music many budding artists offer from their pages. I’ve found some of the best music that way … and did I mention it was free?
Xbox Music: I just discovered this little nugget with purchase of my new laptop. It came preinstalled, and the music lover in me, of course, loved it immediately. This allows you to listen to great music from your favorite artists. Unlike Pandora, when you pick a station based on your artist, you get music from that artist alone. However, if you’re a fan of the mixing that Pandora does, Xbox Music has Smart DJ which performs the same function. You don’t have to have an Xbox to utilize this awesome music source. If you choose to use this you can get Xbox Music Pass which enables you to stream and download millions of songs across multiple devices. You can try Xbox Music Pass for 30 days.
Amazon MP3: Yes, this one is typically used for purchasing music, but what you don’t know is that there are thousands of mainstream and indie songs offered for free. Not only are they free, but you can download them and store them for free so you never lose them. I’ve used this for years now and it’s only gotten better with time.
YouTube: Isn’t this one of the main places where people get songs to pirate, you may ask? Well yeah, but here’s the thing, this is not ok! If you download the YouTube app you have all your favorite songs at your fingertips to listen to as long as you like, plus the added video element. Admittedly, there are commercials and if you don’t have good reception or are completely offline it won’t work. Just think of this one as a supplement to all the other great alternatives mentioned.
With all these resources and more — there are certainly far more than I’ve mentioned but these are just my personal favorites — there is no need to risk jail time and fines for trying to be a pirate. Leave that to Jack Sparrow.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Follow Breanna Grigsby on Twitter: @Bre_Louise
As published in the Sept. 19 issue of the Pepperdine Graphic.
