Just go to the above listed web address to view this issue perfectly in your web browser. Last Friday the Lockergnome gang partied like it was 1979 at the Mix 100.3 Studio 54 party. While the rest of us avoided the spotlight, Chris made sure that everyone knew he had his groove on. For many people, streaming media has been about downloading MP3 music files from the Internet. The Internet has been about the free exchange of information since its inception, so this is only natural.
Music is just another form of information, after all.
The reasons people download music files are numerous. Perhaps you bought some vinyl 20 or 30 years ago and you want the convenience of being able to play those songs on your computer, so you found them on a Web site or by searching Napster. Quite possibly, you found a song or two that isn't even available for purchase anymore. Admittedly, there are a few people who download MP3s because they don't want to spend any money on music. IBM is working diligently at creating a gatekeeper system that will control access to MP3s and other shared files across the Internet.