Finding Legal Online Music, Movies, and Other Content
There are numerous legal sources for online music, movies, software and other intellectual property. Major labels, indie labels and studios, solo artists, movie studios, and many others increasingly distribute via the Web. Information Technology Services (ITS) encourages everyone at the university to explore and use these resources to maintain compliance with university's Acceptable Use Policy, the Resnet Acceptable Use policy, and the law. The commercial music, video, radio, and software services listed below allow you to legally purchase or license and download content. All of the listed services assert that they comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Other than services it provides, ITS does not recommend the use of a particular service, nor does it warrant that a service is compliant with the DMCA. You are responsible for reading and understanding service agreements and for complying with the law and ITS and university policies. Remember to choose intelligently: know what issues to consider when choosing a service.
Please refer to the service provider Web sites for current pricing and services as they may be subject to change. This list last updated October 17, 2007.
We strongly encourage you to get your music and other media through legal sources. File sharing is illegal and it can be costly. The university cannot protect you against allegations of copyright infringement.
Many Web-based services that are offering free media are simply gateways to a peer-to-peer file sharing networks. It is highly likely the provider is not licensed to distribute the music, movies, and media they make available. Downloading such content is a violation of the copyright. Read more about file sharing and what you need to know about peer-to-peer.
Music Services
Recent changes on the music scene include the much greater availability of music in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM) encoding, which gives buyers tremendous flexibility in moving songs from one device to another.
| Provider | Operating System(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Linux, Mac OS, Windows |
MP3 format, no DRM. |
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| Linux, Mac OS, Windows |
Independent labels. MP3 format, no DRM. Keep music when you cancel your subscription. |
Windows, IE 5.0 or higher |
No subscription necessary. Downloads include DRM. |
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Linux, Mac OS, Windows |
Independent labels, large library. MP3 format, no DRM. Site features music discovery tools. |
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Mac OS and Windows |
Very large library. (October 17, 2007) Price-drop on DRM-free downloads. Access to numerous other multi-media options (TV, movies, podcasts, and more). |
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Windows and MP3 players that support Windows-DRM |
Radio, streaming, or purchase. Downloads may include DRM. Includes a user-to-user messaging function that will share the users' e-mail addresses. |
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Mac OS, Windows, Linux (streaming) Desktop program is Windows only |
Subscription-based streaming service from RealNetworks |
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Windows |
Download store from RealNetworks, works with Harmony™ technology in RealPlayer 10.5 to allow transfer to multiple formats |
Windows and MP3 players that support Windows-DRM |
Provides free, unlimited access to the Ruckus music library for students with a valid school e-mail address (.edu). Downloads may include DRM. Includes social networking component. Grants Ruckus the right to reuse any materials you post. |
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Linux, Mac OS, Windows |
Focused on open standards and independent music. Publish as well as find music. Ogg Vorbis (lossy) and FLAC (lossless) formats. |
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Linux, Mac OS, Windows (for MP3 format) |
Purchase only. Some edited content. WMA and MP3 formats. |
| Windows |
Radio, streaming, or purchase. Site features music discovery tools. WMA format. Downloads may include DRM. |
Television and Movie Services
TV and movie services are evolving rapidly. In addition to purchasing movies and TV from iTunes for download to your computer, many networks, such as ABC, NBC, and SciFi Channel, provide at least temporary access to watch shows on their Web sites. They also provide additional content like cast interviews.
For movies, you can rent online through services like Netflix.com and Blockbuster. Pay-per-view and video store DVD rentals are obviously an option as well. Licensed online movie services continue to be developed—if you use one, you'll need a lot of bandwidth. If a service lets you buy online, there may be restrictions such as device limitations or the amount of time the download is available.
| Provider | Operating System(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
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Mac OS and Windows |
Very large library. Some downloads include DRM (users can pay more for non-DRM version). Access to numerous other multi-media options (TV, movies, podcasts, and more). |
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Windows, IE 5.0 or higher |
Rent a download |
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Windows |
Rent a download |
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Windows, IE 6 or higher |
Rent or purchase. Movies and TV shows. |
Online Radio
| Provider | Notes |
|---|---|
| last.fm | Internet radio that creates a station based on your music tastes, using a downloadable tool. Includes social networking aspects. |
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Internet radio network with more than 2.6 million listeners each month. |
| Omniglot | Links to online radio stations around the world, both multilingual and single language. |
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Internet radio that creates a station customized to your tastes based on music qualities from the Music Genome Project. |
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Listen to streaming radio, use forums to discuss songs and anything entertainment, rate music, talk about streaming/media, and more. |
Software
Students, faculty and staff at The University of Texas at Austin have tremendous software resources available at very low (and sometimes no) cost.
| UT Austin Service | URL | Comments |
|---|---|---|
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Download at no extra cost for students, faculty and staff. Critical tools for managing and protecting your computer. |
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Brought to you by ITS. Buy your computer and the latest software at discount prices. |
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Brought to you by ITS. Students, faculty, staff, and departments can obtain software at greatly reduced prices. |
Issues to consider when selecting a service
Security
It cannot be said often enough: READ THE EULA (end user license agreement) and all terms of service. Research your provider. Know whether they are permitted to sell your information to third parties. Some software allows adware, spyware, malware, and other malicious code to be downloaded to your computer. The malicious code transmits information from your system. It may capture personal information, including passwords other data that could allow someone to steal your identity. Make sure you practice safe computing, install anti-virus software on your computer, and regularly scan for viruses and malicious code.
If the site offers a social networking component, make sure you are aware of the information that will be made available to other users and be cautious about what you post.
Licensing and terms of use
Some commercial services limit your access to the term of your subscription. Once you end your subscription, you can no longer play the music.
Cost and quality
Streaming services typically are available for a monthly subscription, while downloads are usually (but not always) provided on a per-item basis. Less expensive downloads may have a lower quality.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions
DRM is encryption embedded in data to protect the rights of the copyright holder and prevent certain activities. Some services provide music with embedded DRM encryption, and players that cannot successfully decrypt the media will not be able to play the music.
Legality
Services should provide statements asserting that they are compliant with the DMCA. Remember that you are responsible for any stolen intellectual property. The university cannot protect you.
Type of service
Some services offer streaming audio only, others purchase only, and others let you choose between streaming and purchase. Other sites offer access to online radio stations (usually commercial-free), media management tools, and other electronic content.
Transferability
Some services restrict your ability to transfer downloads to other media, computers, and portable devices.
Supported platforms
Most commercial music services support Windows operating systems. A few support Mac OS and Linux operating systems.
Supported file formats
Services usually provide only one or two of the many available audio formats: MP3, AAV (Apple iPod), WMA (Windows Media Player), and Ogg (Linux) among others. Different portable devices support different formats.
Catalog
Music catalog size, timeliness, and focus vary. Some commercial music services specialize in primarily independent or small-label artists; others have large catalogs, but the music may not be current. Larger services can offer a large selection of the latest popular music.
Tools/client support
Most services require the use of client software installed on the computer to facilitate downloads and manage music collections. If the service does not require a client, they likely provide an optional one.
Flexibility
The online music market is constantly changing, there are many competitors, and technology continues to evolve. Look at whether the service seems to have room to adapt to change or locks you into a particular format or technology.
