Downloading iPod music online can be a tricky business if you are not careful. You may wonder what’s there to worry about. Everyone else, even your neighbor’s dog is downloading music for iPod while he is watching TV, right? I encourage you to join me in a quick walkthrough on the pitfalls, tips and tricks of downloading iPod music.

Sure, if you are downloading from iTunes, then every worry that you may have can be laid to rest. However, if you are a little adventurous and want to try new iPod download sites, or perhaps tight in your pocket and just want to get some free music to enjoy, then the following information is important to you.

You may have probably heard of Kazaa, or similar free sites like that, or even are downloading iPod music from them. Then I have some alarming news for you. Despite claims by these free download sites that downloading iPod music is safe, users are unknowingly downloading bundled adware and spyware when they use the download client to access these music files online. Let’s face it, the free sites need some form of revenue to keep their sites running isn’t it? The endless streams of pop-ups when downloading music are also extremely annoying.

The legality of downloading iPod music from these sites is controversial. While it is fair to say that downloading shared files produced by amateurs that are home-made, ie not commercial and copyrighted audio files is legal, you are still treading in grey areas because you never know when you are downloading pirated music. If you can live with all these uncertainties and vulnerabilities, then go ahead and download music from them by all means.

Since there are so many problems associated with downloading iPod music from these dubious sources, a logical conclusion would be most people would download iPod music at stores such as iTunes, eMusic, etc. Strictly speaking, if this is the only safe option other than the free download sites, then most folks would be getting their music there at $0.99 per piece or anywhere between $0.70 - $1.99 per track. This is after all cheaper than getting a CD that only contains 1 or 2 tracks you like since you can download 10 of your favorite songs from different singers instead of entire albums. But by today’s standard, this is not cheap at all. I will explain why.

What if there are download sites that offer you a lifetime access to download iPod music for a one-time fee? We are not talking about expensive country club memberships which only the well-heeled can afford. Consider this offer these sites make; a full lifetime membership for downloading iPod music – unlimited music, songs and music videos at anytime at any place in a totally secured environment free from viruses, adware and spyware at the price of a few cinema tickets and snacks thrown in. All these sound too good to be true but whether it is real or not, the music community is the best judge for it. In case you are not informed, many music enthusiasts have opted for this alternative as the mainstream resource for downloading iPod music. If you are curious and want to learn more, read my blog to get the scoop of what is happening in the music community and where people are flocking to download incredibly cheap music for their iPods.

The content of this article is provided for the purpose of education and illustration only and is in no way associated with Apple, iTune, or any company or subsidiary of Apple.