Hey guys, I've seen this topic mentioned a few times so I wanted to post some rules about music downloads:
Illegal music download links are strictly forbidden, since they will get us into a lot of trouble. The only permitted links are:
1) You made the song yourself and want to give it away. You're the intellectual owner of the song and you decide what to do with it. (However, be advised that if your song has ANY samples whatsoever, you need to get those samples cleared. Sampling without permission is considered illegal).
2) The song is licensed under a Creative Commons license that allows free distribution. You have to post which Creative Commons license it has if this is the case (for example "NonCommercial-Attribution-ShareAlike", the download page always says which, as per license rules) and link to the artist's preferred distribution website (for example, Jamendo).
3) The artist is giving it away at their website, in which case a link to their website is allowed (normally the artists do this for promotion, and we want their work to be seen/heard).
4) The song was given away in the artist's/label's official blog or website endorsed by the artist (like the free downloads Flying Lotus shares on his blog on occasion, or Stones Throw podcasts).
5) You post a legal download link (like iTunes or Amazon).
Nothing else is allowed, nothing is open for discussion, if you have any doubts or questions please ask before posting.
PS: On a related note, there is no problem with posting MySpace links, since MySpace is usually officiated by the artist or the artist's label. Official streaming links are also allowed. Even Imeem and YouTube. However, discussing methods for recording/ripping these streams or publicly offering rips is not.
Att. The Staff