While the options as torrent and p2p programs continue increasing, downloading popular songs is just a matter of choice and options. This site called http://musicentertainmentweb.com  is the one that first that opened my eyes so I will share it with you.

There are ways to get away with free music downloading. Many people assume that Napster failed just because of the free music, but that’s not the whole story. The truth is people were trading entire cd’s and not just a few songs here and there. That is what got the attention of the media and of lawyers who sued.  Each song that you have on your computer individually is a file. When you go to download sites you are file swapping. This is free of charge and not considered illegal. Maybe just a little dishonest.  File swapping is where two people can exchange songs that at some point had to be purchased by some person. If only one person purchases the song or cd, then it is ok for them to share the file with as many people as they like, because the record company got its cut.
 
When downloading you may have to download a song a few times before you get a good copy. Sometimes you are just getting a sample. It’s a trick to get you agitated and try to make you go buy the whole cd when you just want that one song. Just keep trying, you will find the song eventually. Remember nothing is free and you may have to put in a little more effort to get what you want.
 
Don’t bother with sites that want you to fill out a bunch of personal information to get a free download. When you are accepting their terms that you know you never bother reading it says that they can sell your information. If the site is asking for a lot of personal information just move on. There are other sites out there available to you that will not violate your privacy for a free download.  While downloads can be fun it never hurts to be safe.  This gray area is bound to be debated in Courts and media for years to come.

Every time I see a concert or a popular song being played I see plenty of youngsters and adults alike mimicking the songs and moves of the stars.  It got me thinking, what would it actually take for these people to get into the music business.  I came across this wonderfully illustrated article written by Jerome Ford. Here are some picks.

Everything needs a solid base.  As for getting a record deal, it can be easily dome with proper planning. There are many experienced professionals in the music biz who will tell you that the music biz is all business. I agree. With any business, proper planning is the key to success in the music biz. This article describes some simple steps to plan your success.

Think of your career as a business. Have you assembled your business plan? How do you plan to market? What is your mission statement? Are you going to start your own record label to be distributed by a major, or are you going to use the full service resources of a major label? These are all important issues that you have to have in order to really succeed in the music biz. A music biz plan helps you resolve these issues well in advance.

A lot of recording artists enter the music biz with one big goal “to make it”. These artists see themselves on a big stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, but often that is as far as the planning goes. Artists rarely conduct the planning that it takes to succeed in the music biz.

I’ve yet to speak to an artist who has a business plan. In my experience if you don’t have a business plan, then you shouldn’t plan on being in business. A good business plan will cover your business and legal structure, your marketing model, financial projections, goals, benchmarks and finally what you’ll do after the your career is over.

I’ve met many recording artists who treat the music biz like a glorified hobby. They often don’t have business cards, a website or in many cases, a valid email address. Many more artists don’t have the marketing structure in place that will allow them to get the attention from fans or record labels. Remember that the music biz is all business. If you treat your music career as a hobby then you might as well just play your music for friends and family and be content with people pretending to take you seriously.

Getting attention and interest from record labels is easy if you are on the radar. Many Artist and Repertoire Representatives (A&R Reps) agree that if an artist is making it happen on for themselves (by selling a couple thousand CD’s locally or selling out a 2,000 seat venue) they will get on the major label radar. You can’t get on the radar of the record labels (or your fans) if you are flying by the seat of your pants and living on a prayer.

As referring to the famous quote “failing to plan is planning to fail”.

Number 5

U2 plays on an L.A. liquor store rooftop
When: March 27, 1987
Location: Liquor store rooftop, Los Angeles

Why is it one of the best? It may not have had The Beatles’ originality, but Bono and the boys surely enjoyed their 20 minutes on top of the world nevertheless.

The Irish quartet was about four songs into its set on an L.A. liquor store rooftop when the city police decided to pull the plug on the impromptu performance and spoil the fun for the fans that had gathered below. Both the performance and the police intervention did make for a captivating “Where The Streets Have No Name” video — which was the point of the whole exercise.

Highlight :The ensuing police intervention after fans blocked traffic in the streets below.

Number 4

George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh
When: August 1, 1971
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City

Why is it one of the best? What had initially been conceived as a small political fundraiser aimed at bringing humanitarian relief to the refugees in breakaway Bangladesh quickly turned into one of the biggest rock fundraisers of the 1970s.

Although Lennon and McCartney never ended up signing on to Ravi Shankar’s cause, many other stars did, including George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, and Eric Clapton, who actually collapsed onstage as a result of his protracted bout of heroin addiction but still managed to proceed with the concert. The 40,000 or so fans who crowded New York’s Madison Square Garden witnessed some rare performances, including a 25-minute Indian recital by Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” and Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy.”

Number 3

Pink Floyd break visual barriers with The Wall shows
When: Between February 1980 and June 1981
Location: Around the world

Why is it one of the best? Pink Floyd’s visual theatrics took a turn for the legendary with their infamous The Wall concerts, which were the last shows Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Dave Gilmour, and Nick Mason performed together before the Live 8 show in July 2005.

Each show required timed performances and unprecedented cooperation between the musicians, concert crew, lighting engineers, and computer programmers. In fact, extended instrumentals and Roger Waters’ impromptu introductions often served to cover up stage fires and other technical difficulties, which seemed inevitable when putting together a show that included a 30-foot-high teacher puppet, a scorpion wife and other such animated characters.

Highlight :The eventual explosion of the giant white polystyrene brick wall between the band and the audience, which was built during each show.

Number 2

Jimi Hendrix wows Woodstock
When: August 18, 1969
Location: Woodstock, New York

Why is it one of the best? After plowing through three days worth of rain, mud, pharmaceuticals, and music, the 30,000 or so hardcore fans who chose to brave one more night for Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock closer were not disappointed.

In fact, those who stuck around to witness Hendrix’s mind-blowing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” cannot deny its importance on the festival’s soundtrack; it became the eternal anthem of a generation of civil rights crusaders, anti-war protestors and music lovers everywhere.

Highlight :”The Star-Spangled Banner.” Period.

Number 1

The Beatles sell out Shea Stadium
When: August 15, 1965
Location: Shea Stadium, New York City

Why is it the best? After a thundering welcome at JFK airport, the American release of Help! and an electrifying appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles’ success at Shea Stadium — the first-ever stadium concert of its kind — was all but guaranteed.

In fact, the sell-out crowd of 55,600 was so deafening that the Fab Four could barely hear themselves play throughout their 30-minute set. Instead, The Beatles’ grand armored van entrance, John Lennon’s ‘Jerry Lee Lewis’ onstage freak-out and the event’s record-setting gross revenues stole the show.

Such a list of crazy concerts points out the way today rock music is propagating in the music arena. Music has always had a purpose of peace and such concerts actually helped mankind to balance out humanity during periods of turmoil.

Rock music had its glory days for the last couple of decades so I knew there had to be a Hall Of  Fame of some sort. Recently I stumbled across at list of the top Rock Concerts of all time at askmen.com. Here are some of the highlights.

Number 10

Simon and Garfunkel rock Central Park
When: September 19, 1981
Location: Central Park, New York City

Why is it one of the best? Their rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” could not have been more relevant, given that the dynamic duo put aside their 11-year separation to perform before half a million fans in New York’s Central Park.

Musically speaking, the two singer/songwriters never sounded so close together, their voices and folk/pop guitar lines meshing perfectly on the likes of “The Boxer” and “Mrs. Robinson.” In the end, the New York homecoming was as magical for the original Queens duo as it was for fans who — despite hearing quieter arrangements and an often quavering Paul Simon throughout the 19-song set — simply refused to let the sun set on the turbulent sixties.

Highlight :The heartfelt rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Number 9

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Peter Frampton Comes Alive!
When: June 13-14, 1975
Location: Marin Civic Center, San Francisco

Why is it one of the best? There are those artists whose live performances thrive where their albums falter, capturing energy and personality that $100,000 worth of microphones and fancy studio equipment simply miss.

On these two nights, Peter Frampton shed the studio confines and let his powerful vocals, improvised melodic solos and patented voice-box guitar technique do the talking on songs like “Lines On My Face,” “Show Me the Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do.” Marking the first time he headlined a show, Frampton’s magical performance would go on to sell close to 16 million copies, becoming the highest-selling live recording in rock history.

Highlight :His rendition of “Baby, I Love Your Way.”

Number 8

Led Zeppelin’s Madison Square Garden trilogy
When: 1973
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City

Why is it one of the best? Back in the days when rock dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, no band put on a rock show like Led Zeppelin.

The British quartet only cemented its legendary status when it performed three consecutive sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden — performances that have been forever immortalized on the best-selling live DVD The Song Remains the Same. With only a gentle “thank you” to separate drawn-out performances, Robert Plant let Bonham’s flashy drumming, Page’s bow work on “Dazed and Confused” and his own hair-raising stage presence define Led Zeppelin.

Highlight :The 26-minute rendition of “Dazed and Confused.”

Number 7

The Rolling Stones rock Wembley Arena
When: September 13 & 15, 2003
Location: Wembley Arena, England

Why is it one of the best? What better way for rock’s ultimate iron men to celebrate four decades of rock concert hysteria?

From the opening guitar strokes of “Street Fighting Man,” The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Darryl Jones, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood kicked off their two-day 40th anniversary bash in style. Jagger pumped the audience of baby boomers and college rockers alike with a gritty version of “Start Me Up,” Richards ripped through an extended band jam on “Satisfaction,” and Woods earned feverish applause for his acoustic work on “Wild Horses.”

Highlight :The second-day encore of “Jumping Jack Flash,” which perfectly captured the band’s feverish stage energy.

Number 6

Jeff Buckley serenades the Sin-
When: Summer of 1993
Location: The Sin-, New York City

Why is it one of the best? If Jeff Buckley truly was rock n’ roll’s gentlest lover, then his famous summer concert deep in the heart of New York’s Greenwich village was nothing short of orgasmic.

Singing only a few originals and re-interpreting several tunes by Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday and Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley laid out his sweet voice, fragile soul and quirky personality for every last person in the tiny Sin- Caf, weaving seamlessly between heart-breaking songs and conversational interludes.

Highlight :Buckley’s climactic rendition of “The Way Young Lovers Do.”