# "Free" music downloads **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034 "2023-05-14T16:40:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034/1 "2023-05-14T16:40:52Z")
What’s up with MP3.PM, a website which claims to offer free music downloads and appears to have songs unavailable on Amazon or Apple Music? What bad stuff will happen to me if I (attempt to) download a song? Will I have committed a crime? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034/2 "2023-05-14T17:22:34Z")
According to ICANN, the registrant of the domain is in Russia. > - Handle: LA32026-FRNIC > - Name: Lafer Alexandr > - Organization: Lafer Alexandr > - Email: [lafersasha@yandex.ru](mailto:lafersasha@yandex.ru) > - Status: associated,active > - Mailing Address: street Ivana Franko, building 3, block 1, flat 41, Moscow, 210056, RO Proceed with caution. Or run screaming from that site. Your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034/3 "2023-05-14T17:26:37Z")
All the songs are Russian-language covers. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034/4 "2023-05-14T18:01:22Z")
Are you joking? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034/5 "2023-05-14T18:25:58Z")
We’ve had other threads in the past about Russian mp3 download sites > [@Legality of MP3Fiesta downloads](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-mp3fiesta-downloads/427740): > > Ok, call me the person who looks the gift horse in the mouth. I’m searching around for MP3s of Beatles tunes for download. iTunes - No have. Yahoo music - no have. MP3Fiesta - has, and for only $0.10 a song! Now, to me, this raises the question as to how legitimate the download is at that site. Lots of places claim “legal” downloadable mp3s, including most sites that have them for “free.” But I have trouble believing that the Beatles pass up the chance to license their music to the big si… > [@A Question of Legality and Cheap MP3 Downloads](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-of-legality-and-cheap-mp3-downloads/429326): > > I’m trying to get to the bottom of this. I found a website that offers MP3 music for a quite low cost… apparently it’s a Russian website. I’m rooting around trying to figure out how they can charge so little and still be legal, but they say they are licensed by something called ROMS and that ‘‘Site Owner pays license fees for all materials downloaded from the Site subject to the International Copyright Law. Authors, Artists and other Copyright holders including major labels are paid their fair… > [@Legality of allofmp3.com](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-allofmp3-com/243717): > > In this thread: Alereon posted a link to [http://www.allofmp3.com](http://www.allofmp3.com). Yesterday I spent ten bucks and have been downloading a bunch of music since then. I’ve been getting Q7 OGG files and the quality is great in most cases. There’s been some blips here and there, but I wasn’t expecting much for such a low price. The company is Russian, and apparently they can sell music for a penny a MegaByte over there. Their FAQ claims the following: I’ve purchased a grip of albums so far, and I’m not ev… > [@A little curious about a music download site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-little-curious-about-a-music-download-site/484889): > > A friend and my daughter both received texts about a website where one can download music just .08 a song for the month of February. I visited the site and sure enough it's true. Normally the songs cost .38 each. The site is www . wermp3 . com. It seems too good to be true. This is what makes me nervous. I’m not so much worried about spam or viruses as I am worried about this being a phishing site. I was wondering if anybody knew anything about this site or knows how to check out its legi… ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034/6 "2023-05-14T19:32:37Z")
Thanks. I’m bound to find my answer somewhere in all that ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-music-downloads/984034/7 "2023-05-14T21:55:50Z")
If something sounds too good to be legal, as a general rule of thumb it very probably isn’t legal. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zGM8PT1eAvY/maxresdefault.jpg ""Weird Al" Yankovic - Don't Download This Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGM8PT1eAvY)