Music file sharing is the task of making songs and other audio files available for other users to download. This may be done by them and by you either over a smaller, more private network to which you and they have access or directly across the World Wide Web. Typically the P2P format is used in music file sharing where music files are stored on and offered by the personal computers of the users. Quite often when you’re sharing music files you’re also downloading music files; P2P is a particular type of music file trading since P2P network files do not require an upload. However some networks offer reward for uploading or force the sharing of music files being uploaded on their network with everyone on the network.

Perhaps the most infamous sort of P2P music file sharing network was the late great Napster which allowed people to download copyrighted music for free amongst each others collections. That was one of the last great movements to defy authority and allow the little guy to do whatever he wanted with his own music. It failed. Napster went bankrupt and the name was bought and changed to a legit subscription service. Another infamous small file sharing network was called eDonkey 2000. Unfortunately this type of defiance is quickly squelched by the omnipotent hand of the record company executives and government officials.

Another type of music file sharing which is a little bit more difficult to crunch is the web hosting for music file sharing. It’s in this venue that people are allowed to exchange privately and in as small a community as you’d like; it’s quick, it’s efficient, and corporations know it goes on but would rather not raise the roof too much…Yet. I guess this could be akin to the kid in grade school who had two VCR’s and made copies of tapes for his friends. Even the practice of making copies of cassette tapes was taboo for a while there when I was growing up; I imagine web based file sharing is something like that.

Music file sharing in the 21st century is done in second generation networks (with no central index server) Some of the most prominent examples of this type of network that are still successful include Gnutella, Kazza, or eMule though it’s almost exclusively MP3 only! On most sites (including Kazaa!) you’re led to a place where you can (“sniff”) buy your music. If we wanted to buy music, we’d go to iTunes!