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When it comes to statements in the music business, then the assertion that music pirates are the music industry's largest online consumers, might take some swallowing...

When it comes to using your mobile phone as a digital music centre, don’t forget you can be using napster downloads as a ring tone from the new Napster Mobile service...

Despite being available as a free download, Amazon’s best selling download album of 2008 was part one of Ghosts I-IV from Nine Inch Nails...

Downloading music, as opposed to buying discs, is now a major part of the music business and is so crucial to the fortunes of artists and record companies alike, that there is now a thriving UK Official Download Chart...

Despite being available as a free download, Amazon’s best selling download album of 2008 was part one of Ghosts I-IV from Nine Inch Nails.

And that someone's computer will usually be a music provider, such as Napster, and your computer will then be used to listen to the music, or 'load' another device for listening, such as an MP3 player...

Latest figures show that over 375 million DVDs, CDs and Blu-ray discs were sold last year. That’s an incredible figure, given that the download was meant to signal a swift end to the shiny discs...

In 1999, Napster was created as a file sharing program by an American University student. The download software quickly gained popularity as a way to share and download free music...

In 1999 when the original Napster was first released it changed the music industry forever. Although relatively short-lived in its success, the original Napster did make way for several other forms of unregulated music downloading software...

Illegal and unsecured music download sites can appear to be a great source for free, pirated music. Unfortunately, these sites do more than harm the music industry they also pose dangerous threats to their own users...

Online music piracy is a crime and is one of the biggest challenges facing the music industry and music lovers everywhere...

It wasn't that long ago that anyone who dared to mention the word, Napster in the company of a recording artist or a music production company was liable to get struck over the head by a gold disc. The frenzy when the public discovered that they could download just about all of their favourite songs for free was tremendous. What they didn't know at the time was as they were downloading all that "free" music they were also downloading the forerunners of some of the most powerful computer viruses that ever walked this planet.

The first is that they would be caught and charged with copyright theft, which is real crime, and enforceable in a court of law, the second risk was probably a bit closer to home for most people.

Big business won their case and in less than two years from when they made their first online appearance, Napster were not only forced to cease broadcasting online, but also were bound to pay music creators and copyright owners a $26 million settlement for their past and is it now transpired unauthorized uses of music

It's not every day that you can say that something was an "overnight sensation" but when Napster hit the fledgling internet scene it certainly was one of them. The concept of music sharing was certainly very innovative and seemed even innocent. If you have a nice song that you liked to listen to, why not share that experience with others. Napster provided that platform and it turned out that there were millions who were just waiting to leap on it.

File sharing seemed like a good idea, as it entailed someone who owned a particularly pleasant piece of music sharing it with their friends. The problems began when these files began to appear online and the numbers of people "sharing" each song reached the tens of thousands, and the music industry began to feel the pinch.

The digital music scene has changed the habits of those who enjoy listening to music, and not just the kids. Today anyone can access their favourite music and for a few pennies a track.

Since Napster went "legit" much has been said about the pluses and minuses of taking out a subscription to the company. Let's be honest, music lovers were spoiled by the concept of the original Napster where file sharing became a new piece of phraseology in the internet vocabulary.

Nowadays the new and completely legal Napster, act as a file sharing service offering an extensive music catalogue for unlimited listening for just £5.00 a month.

Napster rises like a phoenix from the ashes to become Britain's number one source of legally downloadable music.

Through Napster's UK subsidiary the public can listen to any of the ten million tracks that Napster hold for just £5.00 a month. In a classic everybody wins situation, and one that is regarded as a precedent for other downloading sites for the future.