Piracy Back in 1999, Napster sparked a revolution with the release of software that made it simple for users to share and download music they had on their PCs.
The brainchild of 19-year-old Shawn Fanning, it shut down in 2001 following legal proceedings from record companies. Many clones using the peer-to-peer model (users download from other users' PCs rather than a central server) have since emerged, such as Kazaa and LimeWire.
Wherever you stand morally on the copyright issues, peer-to-peer networks have become increasingly risky, due to the amount of viruses they contain and legal actions taken by industry representatives such as Irma against heavy users.
Grey area
Moscow-based allofmp3.com claims not to break any Russian laws. By basing itself in the former Soviet Union it is able to offer albums for download for as little as €2. Not surprisingly, the music industry is keen to shut the service down.
Another phenomenon that has emerged recently is the MP3 blog. Run by enthusiasts, they post tracks from established and emerging artists which are usually only available to download for a limited period. Most also provide links to where the whole album can be purchased and stress that they do not intend to disrupt the flow of commerce between musicians and consumers. The Hype Machine (hype.non-standard.net) is a good introduction to the phenomenon.
Subscription
The original peer-to-peer service, Napster, is now a subscription-based service that charges a monthly fee for access to its library of over 2 million songs. It is necessary to maintain a subscription in order to continue to be able to listen to the songs already downloaded. It is not currently possible to subscribe from Ireland. Other services with a similar model include Rhapsody (www.rhapsody.com) from the makers of the Real Player software, e-Music (www.emusic.com), and Virgin Digital (www.virgindigital.com).
Pay per use
By far the most popular legal method of acquiring music digitally. Apple's iTunes Music Store leads the way with about 80 percent of the market - last month Apple announced it had sold 200 million songs in Europe alone. While songs purchased for 99c each on iTunes can be listened to on any PC, the only portable player they support is Apple's own iPod. Amongst the 300-odd services that support rival players from Creative, iRiver, Rio and others are the Eircom Net Music Club (www.eircom.net/music) and MyCokeMusic (www.mycokemusic.com).
Free
My Space (www.myspace.com) isn't just a way for teens to keep in touch, but has become a powerful tool for breaking new music. Thousands of artists - from the famous to the obscure - give away tracks on the site in order to generate a buzz around new releases. SpiralFrog will be hoping to have a similar impact.