Peer to Peer

Peer to peer music sharing is a network of individual users who are all connected to each other through a server. Each user has access to another users shared files, which in the case of online music, means mp3s. For example, if user A sees that user B has something they want, user A will ask the server to initiate a file transfer between user A and user B. Put simply, this means that user A copies one of user B's files onto their computer. This means that user A will now have possession of one of user B's files, which he can then listen to offline. This simple type of file transfer between individuals is still the most popular online music, because almost all peer to peer networks are free. Napster, with well over 50 million users worldwide, is currently the most popular peer to peer music network. Other network types such as Gnutella, and Freenet are also gaining popularity, but they are also used to share pictures, documents, and applications.

Sadly, peer to peer networks are currently thought of as pirate networks with illegal content. This in mainly due to Napster and its highly publicised copyright violation case. While it is true that there is pirated software and music on these networks, they also provide amazing potential for legal uses, such as a network where you can download any music you want, but until you pay it is encrypted. This method will most likley not be implemented for a few years, since labels and artists are still dealing with the ongoing Napster battle.

For Information on Specific types of file sharing programs, click on one of these links:

Gnutella

Napster

Freenet