The Dark Side of P2P File Sharing

P2P file sharing programs are free. Period. But there are P2P scam sites out there that want you to pay them instead. P2P scam sites are rogue companies that have set up shop to fleece unsuspecting music downloaders looking for file sharing programs by charging a fee for an otherwise free service.

No P2P file sharing software costs money. Exceptions would be a site asking members to make a monetary donation to help pay for bandwidth, hosting costs, and other administrative costs.

Some P2P file sharing programs offer "pro" versions of their free software. But again, their basic service is free to the public. I want you to fully understand this, because paying a P2P scam site money can not only make your wallet a bit lighter, it can also make your computer vulnerable to dangerous spyware.

That's right. These scam sites are only interested in making money off you. As well as actually taking your money by fooling you into paying them, they'll make money off you by installing spyware on your PC, so that they can get paid by sharing your online habits and personal information with others.

For music download beginners, all of this can be very confusing. Why? Because these scam sites advertise all over the Internet. Search engines return results chockful of these scams alongside the real P2P file sharing programs; their banner ads riddle the Internet landscape; sites are promoting these scams to get their piece of your money.

Most real P2P programs don't advertise much on the Internet. The reason is that they're not money makers. It takes money to advertise, and who has more money-- the free P2P file sharing programs or the scam artists? You guessed it. P2P relies on word of mouth. The scam sites rely primarily on advertising.

How Can I Tell a P2P Scam Site?

This is the easy part, if you know what you're looking for. P2P scam sites often use phrases like 100% Legal, which is absolutely untrue. This is a trick they use to prey on people interested in P2P file sharing programs, but who are worried (rightly) about Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lawsuits. Keep in mind that sharing and downloading of copyrighted files is, at this moment, an illegal activity.

Another tactic is to use fake endorsements and recommendations from legitimate companies. Other cons are to use phrases like Direct Downloads!, Get Access Now!, Download Unlimited Free Music!, and other phrases that are promising you things they absolutely CANNOT deliver.

How Does It Work & How are They Doing It?

To be honest, I do not know the ins and outs of P2P scam sites. But I know this: all P2P file sharing programs are free. Think about it a moment. It is because music files are being shared free of charge (without artists receiving royalties) that organizations like the RIAA are mad and suing.

These P2P scam sites are merely taking your money, downloading a little spyware to your PC, then connecting you to one of the real P2P file sharing programs.

This is all convoluted by the nature of P2P, which is a series of servers networking files to one another. Unless you're buying your music MP3 downloads from a legitimate company, either per song/album or through a monthly subscription, you cannot be sure where your music is coming from.

The legal status of P2P file sharing programs is confusing. We know that MP3 files themselves are not illegal. For example, it's legal to possess MP3s, to rip your CDs to your hard drive, and to burn CDs for your personal use. But, by sharing and/or downloading these files, you are breaking copyright laws. To my knowledge, P2P scam sites are not actually breaking any laws. But why pay for something you don't have to?

One of the most common techniques these scam artists use is to set up sites that are misspellings or derivations of popular P2P file sharing programs. KaZaA is probably the most hijacked name being used these days.

Other sites may not actually charge you anything at all, but they'll "give you the software for free" if you give them your email address. This too is a scam. Because once again, they're just sending you along to a proper P2P program, but after collecting your email address, they're selling it to third parties. Don't give these scammers any of your personal information!

If you're on a website you trust, even this website, you may see ads by these scam artists, preaching their lies about 100% blah, blah, blah. For your own security, don't click on the links. They're still scams. (Many independent websites rely on ads to pay the bills. We don't always have full control over what advertisements appear on our sites. Keep in mind that most online advertisements are arranged and distributed by third-party companies who pair up advertisements with appropriate keywords. So a page that discusses "music downloads" is likely to have an ad from a scam site singing their own false praises.)

On this note, there are sites all over the Internet that actually promote P2P scam sites. Why? I have my opinions. First, these scam sites are paying large sums of money to affiliates who promote their sites. For example, a scam site may be charging you $29.95 for their non-service. Well, they're paying affiliates over half (I've seen the pay-out as high as 75%) of that just for getting you, the visitor, to their scam sites.

I Think I've Used One of these Scam Sites. What Do I Do Now?

Stop! Right now, stop using that service. If you've got some type of monthly payment with them, stop paying them. Cancel your "membership," contact your bank or credit card company, and stop paying them immediately! Secondly, your computer has probably have been infected by spyware, and you need to remove it right away. I recommend purchasing spyware-removal software like Pest Patrol because they do the best job at clearing out spyware parasites.

If you've been pulled into a scam site, just rack it up to experience. Their ad copy is very convincing, and you just wanted to "be legal" while downloading. Take heart in knowing that you're not alone. But you're better off now, with this information at your disposal.

In my opinion, this is another reason to consider not using P2P file sharing programs as a means to get your online music. I think that these P2P scam sites will increase in number, and will use more clever tactics to get your money and your information. Until the peer-to-peer communities are regulated in some way, I fear that these types of activities will get worse before they improve.

A former financial advisor and NYC book editor, Bill Paulk blends these two experiences by helping people make sound buying decisions. His passion, building digital music collections through MP3 downloads, is the subject of his first website. http://www.mp3-music-downloads-scout.com reviews and recommends the best in legal MP3 downloads.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


?Who Else Wants to Get Screwed When Signing a Recording or Songwriting Deal?!?!?

You've got your recording (or songwriting) contract in hand and... Read More

The Gong - An Instrument Everyone Can Play

What exactly is a Gong?The gong is a musical instrument... Read More

Is Your Child Struggling in School? Get Him (Or Her) Music Lessons

This is counterintuitive, I know. Our natural response to seeing... Read More

Music for Corporate Entertainment

For many years I have supplied music for and played... Read More

How to Organise a Gig or a Live Music Event - the Budget

Three times in the last month I've been asked the... Read More

Creating Your Own Compositions

The idea of actually creating a complete piece of music... Read More

The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons

How would you like to spend 4 years in a... Read More

Music, the Spiritual Connection

All through the age's music and spirituality as served hand... Read More

How To Play Piano Using Chord Symbols

Chord symbols (for example, Fm7, Cmaj7 or G6) are a... Read More

Taps; Piping Military Honors: A Ceremonial Guide for Highland Bagpipers

It has become increasingly popular for U.S. military veterans and... Read More

Tips on Performing Your Music for Others

Have you ever dreamed of performing a piece you created... Read More

Establishing Your Mix

Now that you've spent hours and days and weeks and... Read More

Acclaimed Songwriter and Performer Michael Alan Releases New CD: Searching for the Heartland:

New York born singer songwriter Michael Alan, who records with... Read More

How to Download Music From The Internet

Most of you have probably heard of the RIAA's quest... Read More

1959 Stratocaster Vintage Guitars

Mid 1959 Stratocaster vintage guitars have a slab rosewood fingerboard... Read More

Choosing a Jazz Band for Your Party

In many years of arranging jazz bands for all sorts... Read More

Jazz: What In The Heck Is It?

All of us know what jazz is when we hear... Read More

Home Run Gigs

Are you still playing your heart out to small audiences... Read More

The Art of Music

Music is the art of arranging sounds in periodic time... Read More

Buying A Guitar - Do You Know What To Look For?

Buying a guitar is an important decision that my students... Read More

Reasons to Ditch Your Guitar Pick

Lately, I haven't been using my guitar pick all that... Read More

Try Some New Music!

Stuck in a music rut?It happens. After listening to your... Read More

Guitar Players...Get a Balanced Guitar Practice Diet

Do you have a wide variety of things that you... Read More

Reaching For The Soul Zone

Every searching artist wants to get there. It's that magical... Read More

Self-Expression Without Criticism

When I was 9 years old I played the Saxophone... Read More

What is Music?

That's a fair question!Basically, you can call music any noise... Read More

Copyright Basics for Songwriters

Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner... Read More

Polychords and the Jazz Improviser: How to Practice & Apply Polychords to Improv

In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More

Green Day: Punk Rock Masters Taming Mainstream Radio Their Way

Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong,... Read More

Warner Music Executive Payments

"In human life, art may arise from almost any activity,... Read More

Born to sing, Britney Spears is as big as ever today

Britney Spears was born December 2 1981 as Britney Jean... Read More

College Radio: The Most Important Radio Level for Musicians

For the self-promoting independent artist, the idea of taking on... Read More

Bono: From Music To Fashion To Helping The Poor

U2s lead singer Bono isn't content with being part of... Read More