Obviously, I like music. I also prefer to follow the rules and obey the law. If you're a parent, think about how many times you haven't been caught for speeding. If you're a student, think about how many times you've been in the car while someone was speeding but the person was never pulled over. Downloading illegal music, whether through P2P networks or torrents, is very similar to speeding and not getting caught.

Of the millions of people who have downloaded a illegal music, only a small handful have been prosecuted. Just like speeding, if you're in a line of 10 people doing 75 in a 65, only one of you will probably get caught if you run into a speed trap. Does that make it right? No! Of course not.

 Just like you wouldn't take a fresh loaf of bread out of a bakery, you shouldn't take music unless it is paid for.

With that said, use a reputable website to purchase your mp3 music. I like iTunes . While it does use a DRM (Digital Rights Management) system to keep songs from being shared, you can authorize up to 5 computers to play your downloaded music.

If you own CDs, the RIAA is still trying to find a way to prosecute if you transfer your music to your computer, but as of this writing, the courts are not allowing those cases to be filed. That means as long as you are not sharing your ripped mp3 music, it is okay to rip your cds to mp3 and put them onto your computer.