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Music Downloading Help, whats out there now? Old Bearshare & Kazaa Dead

AGENT J

"If you ain't first, you're last"
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Its been quite a while since i have downloaded music, been busy and sorta lost interest.

QUite some time ago i uses to use Kazaa before it was pay and regulated etc etc

then i switched to bearshare which was freakin awesome with its search engine and i eve got movies, books and software from there too.
When i first converted bearshare i used to just keep the old verson of it 2.5.2 and it kept working for a long time but now its pay and limited searches etc

but the old version has been shut down for quite some time

so whats out there now? where can i find music, and movies, software and books
 
Most of the growth is in legal alternatives.

Spotify

Amazon

Google Play

Pandora

Xbox Music

iTunes & the soon-to-be iTunes Radio

For the potentially shady (as in, this is a legal utility that can also serve the illegal activity), Bittorrent is where most the activity is at. It serves as a software application, and you use bittorrent trackers to download torrent file which serves as your reservation ticket, if you will. The higher the seed count, the better the chances of a successful download. However, you upload data to the torrent group at the same time (which is where you start to get into trouble). Bittorrent isn't very popular for individual files that are small, but is really useful for numerous files or larger files.

Personally, it has gotten to the point where it makes little sense to continue to engage in digital piracy. You don't risk anything with the ISP or the copyright holder, most of the time the fees are cheap, and options are fine. When it comes to television and film, there are still issues. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon still require the use of another services so you can actually get most of the material you want. They also are heavily-favored toward the subscription model, as the a la carte options (iTunes, Vudu, Amazon, etc.) aren't so great with quality and user rights.
 
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1.)Most of the growth is in legal alternatives.

Spotify

Amazon

Google Play

Pandora

Xbox Music

iTunes & the soon-to-be iTunes Radio

2.)For the potentially shady (as in, this is a legal utility that can also serve the illegal activity), Bittorrent is where most the activity is at. It serves as a software application, and you use bittorrent trackers to download torrent file which serves as your reservation ticket, if you will. The higher the seed count, the better the chances of a successful download. However, you upload data to the torrent group at the same time (which is where you start to get into trouble). Bittorrent isn't very popular for individual files that are small, but is really useful for numerous files or larger files.

1.)thanks fiddy!

i do occasionally use the legal alternatives mainly amazon
but what they lack especially in music is many of just random music i used to download, cover songs, acoustics, many different versions etc thats what was great about bearshare

2.) i have played with some bit-torrent stuff before i forget why, when and how but at the time it was cumbersome and not for me expect i did get a super early release of starwars episode 2 where all the special effects werent even added yet lol that was awesome.

Thanks for the info though fiddy, there will probably just never be anything like bearshare again :(
 
It's not often I download music - but the few things i have done this with I regretted using a smaller-name entity to do so because it either didn't transfer over when they were bought out (thus - when my phone went, or my CD was screwed - I wasn't able to replace it). Or when they upgrade their software my computer can't cope and thus it's useless to me . . . etc.

Going with Google Play, Amazon and ITunes have sidestepped this 'little guy' problem - when I had to buy a new phone all I needed was a Google Play app and I can still listen.
 
It's not often I download music - but the few things i have done this with I regretted using a smaller-name entity to do so because it either didn't transfer over when they were bought out (thus - when my phone went, or my CD was screwed - I wasn't able to replace it). Or when they upgrade their software my computer can't cope and thus it's useless to me . . . etc.

Going with Google Play, Amazon and ITunes have sidestepped this 'little guy' problem - when I had to buy a new phone all I needed was a Google Play app and I can still listen.

thanks AS, ill have to look into google play, already use amazon and i have zero interest in itunes(apple stuff)
 
Anybody else have anything on this?
im desperate and lonely with no bearshare
 
Its been quite a while since i have downloaded music, been busy and sorta lost interest.

QUite some time ago i uses to use Kazaa before it was pay and regulated etc etc

then i switched to bearshare which was freakin awesome with its search engine and i eve got movies, books and software from there too.
When i first converted bearshare i used to just keep the old verson of it 2.5.2 and it kept working for a long time but now its pay and limited searches etc

but the old version has been shut down for quite some time

so whats out there now? where can i find music, and movies, software and books

Remember Napster?

I don't even download music because youtube has just about anything I want, and usually the only time I listen to music is when I'm at my computer so...

If there is a cd I like I generally just buy it from ebay or Amazon. You can get cds from both places for cheap 1-5 bucks usually...

If you're looking for rap then try The Siccness Network most regions on that site have download links for albums - its mostly underground stuff tho.
 
Remember Napster?

I don't even download music because youtube has just about anything I want, and usually the only time I listen to music is when I'm at my computer so...

If there is a cd I like I generally just buy it from ebay or Amazon. You can get cds from both places for cheap 1-5 bucks usually...

If you're looking for rap then try The Siccness Network most regions on that site have download links for albums - its mostly underground stuff tho.

I do but i actually never used it
youtube is great for alot of music but i need music for on the go. MP3 versions and stuff that doesnt have a video

thanks for the info though ill check it out
 
I do but i actually never used it
youtube is great for alot of music but i need music for on the go. MP3 versions and stuff that doesnt have a video

thanks for the info though ill check it out
.

What genre are you looking for?
 
Mostly Amazon, occasionally CD Baby for what I can't find on Amazon, mostly tunes from Scotland and England.

My MP3 has a rather eclectic selection of music on it, lol.
 
Mostly Amazon, occasionally CD Baby for what I can't find on Amazon, mostly tunes from Scotland and England.

My MP3 has a rather eclectic selection of music on it, lol.

The problem with Cd Baby is that a lot of the stuff they sell is bootleg and collectors don't like bootlegs. I suppose if you're not a collector than it really doesn't matter.

The funny part is that a lot of underground/obscure artists bootleg their own music haha....
 
The problem with Cd Baby is that a lot of the stuff they sell is bootleg and collectors don't like bootlegs. I suppose if you're not a collector than it really doesn't matter.

The funny part is that a lot of underground/obscure artists bootleg their own music haha....

I didn't realize they bootlegged. Several of the Euro groups I listen to aren't available on Amazon, nor on any other download site. Ordering directly from the band's website is a bloody fortune in shipping. Crap. :(
 
1.)thanks fiddy!

i do occasionally use the legal alternatives mainly amazon
but what they lack especially in music is many of just random music i used to download, cover songs, acoustics, many different versions etc thats what was great about bearshare

2.) i have played with some bit-torrent stuff before i forget why, when and how but at the time it was cumbersome and not for me expect i did get a super early release of starwars episode 2 where all the special effects werent even added yet lol that was awesome.

Thanks for the info though fiddy, there will probably just never be anything like bearshare again :(


I'll occasionally DL album collections in the multi-gigabyte range and use uTorrent.

If you want to talk about missing something it's the old Napster for me. Iwas VERY cool to browse people's files and then have them jump in to point you in another direction of help them find something they were looking for.. Without a doubt it was the best file sharing system I've seen.
 
.

What genre are you looking for?

any an all, im a music whore :) even classical, jazz and some country

where bearshare excelled at though was live and or acoustic versions of stuff including acoustics of rap, alternative, r&b, rock etc

may favorites are probably Rap, R&B and alternative but anything acoustic i love because i love guitar and piano
 
I didn't realize they bootlegged. Several of the Euro groups I listen to aren't available on Amazon, nor on any other download site. Ordering directly from the band's website is a bloody fortune in shipping. Crap. :(

Some cds are CDR's with paper labels.... Of course some cds are released that way, but once some artists are out of product they don't print another 1,000 or 5,000 they just make copies on demand.

Besides, cd baby only buys 5 cds at a time (at least they used to) so there is really no reason to print 1,000 when you only expect to sell up to 500 at most.

I know all about it because I used to do the same thing with my music, and collectors got epically pissed off.

Collectors are a picky bunch.
 
I'll occasionally DL album collections in the multi-gigabyte range and use uTorrent.

If you want to talk about missing something it's the old Napster for me. Iwas VERY cool to browse people's files and then have them jump in to point you in another direction of help them find something they were looking for.. Without a doubt it was the best file sharing system I've seen.

i never actually used it but bearshare was similar, i thought it had the best search engine for stuff so inclusive unlike some of the ****ty ones like early lime wire, if you looked for Aron Lewis you got zero matches because its Aaron lewis.
 
thanks AS, ill have to look into google play, already use amazon and i have zero interest in itunes(apple stuff)

I use iTunes because your "bought" content is permanently on record thus (re)downloadable to any device (Apple or not), is stored free and is fairly cheap. I tend to use YouTube quite a bit, when I have internet connectivity, since it is free, but saving the links is becoming less usefull because they tend to get zapped as the recording companies often find and force removal of them. Netflix and Hulu are good for movies/TV shows and also quite cheap.
 
any an all, im a music whore :) even classical, jazz and some country

where bearshare excelled at though was live and or acoustic versions of stuff including acoustics of rap, alternative, r&b, rock etc

may favorites are probably Rap, R&B and alternative but anything acoustic i love because i love guitar and piano

If you like rap then go here: The Siccness Network

You will have to make a free account but that is an album post - the majority of whats posted is underground rap tho... Every region (Midwest, South, West, East etc) have their own boards where people upload albums under "requests" which is a sticky at the top of the forum....

If you do choose to join just don't start making requests off the bat because they will ban you for that, however you can download whatevers posted. There as to be at least 10,000-15,000 underground albums and classics linked to download...

It's also a pretty cool site to boot. Their political forum is also extremely interesting. The majority of posters there are pretty intelligent and the majority of big name underground artists are actually members and post frequently...

Check it out....

They also have a forum dedicated to non-rap.
 
Some cds are CDR's with paper labels.... Of course some cds are released that way, but once some artists are out of product they don't print another 1,000 or 5,000 they just make copies on demand.

Besides, cd baby only buys 5 cds at a time (at least they used to) so there is really no reason to print 1,000 when you only expect to sell up to 500 at most.

I know all about it because I used to do the same thing with my music, and collectors got epically pissed off.

Collectors are a picky bunch.

I haven't bought a physical CD from them, just downloads. I know at least one CD was legit, it was linked right from the artists site. Not so sure about the others though.

I'm not a 'collector', but there is some different stuff I like that just isn't available here. I run pretty much the gammit from a little classical to jazz, rock, Celtic, even some in the Gaelic.
I know what I like when I hear it. :wink:
 
I haven't bought a physical CD from them, just downloads. I know at least one CD was legit, it was linked right from the artists site. Not so sure about the others though.

I'm not a 'collector', but there is some different stuff I like that just isn't available here. I run pretty much the gammit from a little classical to jazz, rock, Celtic, even some in the Gaelic.
I know what I like when I hear it. :wink:

It just seems that every collector expects an artist to have "pressed" cd's with a full tray layout on demand, and when you're an unsigned artist that rarely happens. I would usually get 1,000 cds pressed and after that I would just throw printed cover stickers on the cd and autograph them (not that my autograph is worth anything or anyone wants it) I just signed them to show that the cd is authentic and not reproduced without my permission by some 3rd party...

Collectors thought that was cool or portrayed me as an imposter hahaha... I could have really cared less just as long as they're paying 5 bucks - they can believe whatever the hell they want...
 
I use iTunes because your "bought" content is permanently on record thus (re)downloadable to any device (Apple or not), is stored free and is fairly cheap. I tend to use YouTube quite a bit, when I have internet connectivity, since it is free, but saving the links is becoming less usefull because they tend to get zapped as the recording companies often find and force removal of them. Netflix and Hulu are good for movies/TV shows and also quite cheap.

amazon does the same thing and i have two NAS systems at 2TB each so im not worried about losing content to much but iTunes will never be on anythign i have. I used it before and i cant stand their proprietary stuff it sucks.

I have memberships at both netflix and hulu, (along with amazon) wwhat is awesome about them is thier partnerships and apps/tvs/phone. THe latest tv i got has an amazon and netflix button right on the remote.

Thanks!
 
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If you like rap then go here: The Siccness Network

You will have to make a free account but that is an album post - the majority of whats posted is underground rap tho... Every region (Midwest, South, West, East etc) have their own boards where people upload albums under "requests" which is a sticky at the top of the forum....

If you do choose to join just don't start making requests off the bat because they will ban you for that, however you can download whatevers posted. There as to be at least 10,000-15,000 underground albums and classics linked to download...

It's also a pretty cool site to boot. Their political forum is also extremely interesting. The majority of posters there are pretty intelligent and the majority of big name underground artists are actually members and post frequently...

Check it out....

They also have a forum dedicated to non-rap.

thanks ill check it out!
 
I use iTunes because your "bought" content is permanently on record thus (re)downloadable to any device (Apple or not), is stored free and is fairly cheap. I tend to use YouTube quite a bit, when I have internet connectivity, since it is free, but saving the links is becoming less usefull because they tend to get zapped as the recording companies often find and force removal of them. Netflix and Hulu are good for movies/TV shows and also quite cheap.

Plus Youtube comes at a cost. For one thing, there is a pesky amount of time needed to isolate the audio from the visuals embedded in the flash. Second of all, even most HD files have lackluster sound quality. Transcoding that lossy information to yet another lossy file further degrades the sound.
 
Its been quite a while since i have downloaded music, been busy and sorta lost interest.

QUite some time ago i uses to use Kazaa before it was pay and regulated etc etc

then i switched to bearshare which was freakin awesome with its search engine and i eve got movies, books and software from there too.
When i first converted bearshare i used to just keep the old verson of it 2.5.2 and it kept working for a long time but now its pay and limited searches etc

but the old version has been shut down for quite some time

so whats out there now? where can i find music, and movies, software and books

Most common method is to get a streamlined torrent client (utorrent and tixati are by far the easiest and most efficient to use) at which point after downloading these you go to any number of websites in order to download the actual torrent file which will connect you with everyone sharing that file and download it for you. The safest site around as of right now is the pirate bay even though they do get shut down from time to time and open up in another country in a week or two. If you only download torrents from trusted users on pirate bay your pretty safe also.

TBH though with the advent of internet radio like pandora and services like netflix, I don't consider the risk of downloading pirated material to be worth it any more. But if your inclined to do so, it's still very easy to do so.
 
1.)thanks fiddy!

i do occasionally use the legal alternatives mainly amazon
but what they lack especially in music is many of just random music i used to download, cover songs, acoustics, many different versions etc thats what was great about bearshare

2.) i have played with some bit-torrent stuff before i forget why, when and how but at the time it was cumbersome and not for me expect i did get a super early release of starwars episode 2 where all the special effects werent even added yet lol that was awesome.

Thanks for the info though fiddy, there will probably just never be anything like bearshare again :(

Glad you promote theft :roll:
 
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