Why Legal Music Downloads Are Better

By John Roberts

Millions of people download music from the internet but we all need to be careful that these are legal music downloads. It is easy to be tempted to download music for free on peer-to-peer sites but this practice can lead to a very massive legal headache and fines in the thousands of dollars range.

Since the music industry is losing million of dollars through piracy and that they have successfully won several battles, they are taking notice of who is doing what out there in cyber space. They have the money and the time to go after the worst offenders. Several counts of piracy may not seem like a big deal but when you consider that every original download is one count and every upload is one count of piracy, the numbers can start to skyrocket.

Depending on how much music you have pirated, you can end up owing the record companies thousand of dollars. Some people have even racked up over a million dollars in fines and copyright fees. Most of the people that are caught not using legal music downloads are college students or average citizens. The record companies will often settle out of court and have only made examples of a select few.

By paying for legal music downloads, you buy the song and the right to do what you want to with it. Any DRM restrictions are handled by the music site before you even consider purchasing a song. Although it is best to check and make sure that the site has handled the DRM restrictions if you are not using one of the big name music sites to get your music.

Most people only want a track or two off of an album, so you are looking at cost of $0. 99 to $1. 29 per track. This is not a moral decision. By paying for your music upfront you could be saving yourself a lot of money.

Before the age of cyberspace and peer-to-peer sharing, the piracy laws were written that even buying an actual album and loaning it a friend was technically breaking the law. The music industry could not stop this, so they just had to accept the loss. They no longer do today and they are not going down willingly.

Since the age of the internet, everyone can be found sooner or later. So, it is best to pay for legal music downloads now. You are getting the better deal when you consider the alternative. - 18762

About the Author:

With all the recent lawsuits about illegal music downloading, you definitely don't want to take any risks. Check out MusicDownloadsGuide.com for real user reviews of legal music downloads services.

iPod Battery guide for your iPod Nano

By James Logan

iPod battery life is an significant consideration to most iPod users. The iPod battery degrades over a period of time and it is not easily replaced. That's true, to a point, as the battery is lithium based; although it can be recharged up to 500 times, it does degrade over a period of time.

When that happens, although it is possible for users to replace the iPod battery themselves, many of them don't want to risk damaging their iPod Nano 8GB. Did Apple actually make the iPod Nano 8GB to be a disposable digital audio player? No. Apple designed the iPod Nano 8GB to last a long time.

However, most lithium batteries, such as the iPod battery, last about two years. As expected, after a few hundred charges, a lithium battery wears out. Users cannot change the battery the way they can with other digital devices.

Instead of being easily removed, the battery in the iPod Nano 8GB is a permanent part of the case. The situation this dilemma created caused untold frustration to iPod Nano 8GB users, who were quickly offered an substitute by 3rd party manufacturers who agreed to either replace the iPod battery or sell users a do it yourself kit. Apple also offers to replace the iPod battery, but users have to ship their iPod Nano 8GB to the company for replacement.

In addition, Apple offers users tips on their website on how to conserve their iPod battery. Tips to extend the life of your iPod battery: Keep your iPod Nano 8GB at room temperature An iPod battery performs at its best when the iPod Nano 8GB is at room temperature.

Don't leave your iPod Nano 8GB inside a car. Never expose your iPod Nano 8GB to direct sunlight as this can damage the device. When unattended, click the Pause. Any time you are not using your iPod Nano 8GB, slide the button into the Hold position.

iPod will continue to play if left playing until the iPod battery drains out. Make it a habit to turn off your iPod Nano 8GB when you're not using it to conserve battery power. When the room is well lit, you don't need back lighting.

Back lighting can use up a lot of your reserved battery power. If you don't absolutely need it, turn it off. Select Settings, Back light Timer, Off. Most people don't realize that even when their iPod Nano isn't in use, the battery is still active.

Even though it is not much, your iPod battery is still being used, even as your iPod Nano 8GB sleeps. By ensuring your iPod is used and stored at room temperature, you can significantly limit the amount of battery current being used. Taking this one easy step will maximize the use of your iPod battery. - 18762

About the Author:

For Complete Reviews and Guides on iPod Nano & iPod Battery, please visit the new iPod Nano Resources site. Grab the very practical FREE copy of the complete guide on getting the most from your iPod.

What's So Hot About Guitar in a Nutshell?

By Payo W Perry

A new guitar lesson website is turning heads on the web, it's called Guitar in a Nutshell. It's premise is to present beginners or anyone struggling on guitar with a clever and compact system of strums and chords which, when connected, will quickly launch you into playing songs.

These quick results are gotten through the power of it's strums which are universal and can be used over a wide range of popular songs. Knowing how to practice correctly is also a key ingredient and a separate Practice Module is provided to ensure students are practicing with quality and care.

The method is learned in it's basic form with just 4 lessons, available to watch online from a Guitar in a Nutshell DVD recording. Following that, lessons are also expanded into improver and intermediate levels which ensure an even learning curve, crucial for successful learning.

Aside from complete beginners the guitar world is full of people caught in ruts and not improving. It's a frustrating and de-motivating place to be, often ending in such discouragement that the student is convinced they have no natural talent for guitar and quit without ever moving past a typical beginner level.

This is largely explained by substandard teaching methods and a general lack of clarity from guitar lessons in general about how beginners really learn effectively.

Guitar in a Nutshell tends to pride itself on delivering lessons which have 100% transparent clarity. This means that students watching the lessons understand every aspect covered. After all, it was through the real life teaching of beginners on guitar that the method was born as it was noticed that they all effectively shared the same problems.

Guitar in a Nutshell was devised as a universal solution to all those beginner students. A way of catapulting them into confidence on guitar.

Well be sure and check out the sample lessons they have on offer on the website, you might be pleasantly surprised about how easy it is to learn with Guitar in a Nutshell! Good luck. - 18762

About the Author:

The writer is a contributing teacher with Guitar in a Nutshell. Visit the website for lots of free sample videos to try out. There's also a series of important articles on learning to play acoustic guitar which you can sign up for.

Home Theater Speakers

By Sam Williams

In a typical home theater setup, there should be six home theater speakers: two front speakers, two surround speakers, a center speaker and a subwoofer for the lowest frequency ranges. There are two ways to obtain all these speakers: buying each of them seperately, or buying a home theater speaker set.

Home Theater Speaker Sets:

If you're low on budget, you should think about one of these. But remember: don't spare on speakers, they're very important. There are lots of cheap home theater speaker sets on the market, but you shouldn't buy one of them, because these are of poor quality. Usually, sets manufactured by well-know brands (Klipsch, Bose, for example) produce a decent sound. This way you'll still not spend as much as you would on separate speakers.

If you're thinking about buying one of these sets, read our article on home theatres in a box.

Going One By One:

So, you're serious about your future home theater, and want to spend a little more on the speakers? Buying speakers separately has many advantages: it's the best quality you can have, and another, often overlooked advantage is that you can don't have to buy the whole set at a time, so if you haven't got the money, you can still have high quality speakers in your setup.

Your front speakers should be the strongest members in your home theater speaker setup. If you have a small room, choose bookshelf speakers. Larger rooms will require larger speakers; in this case, powerful floor-standing speakers is the choice to go with.

I often hear that it is advisable to have the exact same speakers for surround and front. This is true, but it's not very practical: movie sound mixes don't use surround speakers as much as they use the front speakers. So, you can choose smaller and less-powerful speakers for your surround setup, it won't make significant differences anywhere except your wallet.

The surround and front units were good, old-fashioned hi-fi speakers used for a home theater setup. The case is different with our center speaker. It's a special speaker with unique frequency response. If it's possible, have the center speaker from the same brand as the surround and front speakers. This unit is also often overlooked, but it's very important, because this speaker is used for voices and talking in a sound mix.

The subwoofer is used to reproduce the lower frequencies. Sometimes, it's optional: the front speakers can be powerful enough to rock the house, and an additional subwoofer is not needed. However, in larger rooms, it's inevitable. Subwoofers require lots of power, and in most cases, they require their own power input (these are called "active subwoofers"). - 18762

About the Author:

Please click on link to find great deals on Home Theater Speakers

Image-Build, Inform, and Motivate with Your On-Hold Music and Message

By Tim Holdon

Meet Jane Doe " a smart and savvy business person and a potential new customer of yours. Jane has a need for the products or services you provide and the budget to pay for them. She is also well-connected with a large network of business associates, co-workers, friends, and family with whom she frequently shares her impressions regarding her business experiences.

Jane expects the companies with whom she does business to provide the high level of service she provides to her customers. Those who do are rewarded with a loyal customer and a rich source of referrals. Those who drop the ball not only lose a valuable customer, but they miss out on the referrals, and may even earn a negative reputation. Jane is about to pick up the phone and call your business for the first time. What will her experience be?

Jane understands that you may be busy with other customers and unable to help her immediately, so shes willing to wait on hold for a short time. How will her on-hold experience color her impressions of your company? This is her first contact, and it is likely to have a lasting impact and play a major role in her decision as to whether or not to do business with you. A music-on-hold-message is a combination of elements including music, words, voice, audio production, and equipment.

Music on-hold messages range tremendously in style, quality, and content. They can project a definite image about the business in terms of who they are, what they do, how they do it, why they are in business. Is your on-hold music and message an accurate reflection? While Jane is waiting on hold are you projecting an image of a professional, responsive, considerate company that is motivated to meet her needs? By the time Janes call is answered will she be better informed about your company, aware of pertinent company news or specials, better educated and better equipped to make a buying decision? Words and music can be powerful conveyors of emotion. What emotions do you want Jane to be feeling when you answer her call?

When Jane hangs up from this call will you have won or lost her business? Your music on-hold message can help determine that outcome. - 18762

About the Author:

Catch part 2 of this series to learn more about Music On Hold at www.HoldTimeStudios.com