Downloading music online can be quite a task if you do not have the necessary guidelines to help you out. These guidelines can be easily obrained from blogs like downloadcom or even from some forums. The first and major difference between the immense number of download sites on the web is whether they are paid sites or free.
The sites need not necessarily be one of the two. That is to say that there can be sites which offer free downloading of songs but also allow you to upgrade to a better version by paying some charges. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of sites.
Paid site
The only foreseeable disadvantage to this type to download songs is that you have to pay good money for the music you download. The charges are not generally too large but in many cases people do sometimes wonder why they need to pay at all. There are some cases like iTunes and HMV sites in which you are expected to pay by the song. This may seem like you are paying hardly anything but when you club all the songs (that you have downloaded) together you will see that you have paid quite a lot. Some charges are also on a yearly subscription basis which you have to keep paying every year!
The advantages though far outweigh the disadvantages. You have fast speed downloads, virtually no ads (sometimes none at all), no worry about viruses and spyware, vast choices in the libraries, latest hits, etc.
Free Site
The disadvantages of this type of sites are unfortunately numerous. If you are not smart about it you can get a host of viruses and spyware plaguing your PC. The method of downloading is very tedious and in no way convenient. The libraries are extremely limited and usually do not have many of the songs you are looking for. Free download does not ensure quality and most often you have a very bad copy of the file you wanted. You also have a number of tracks that are misspelt and given wrong titles so you end up downloading tracks which are of no use t you.
The advantage, on the other hand (which makes all the above reasons completely bearable), is that it is free. You do not need to spend a dime. There are also enough of sites which offer good quality free music so if you have the patience to look through the web and find those sites then you can get the advantages of a paid site without having to pay any charges at all.