Simon

When is it legal to download music from the internet?
It is legal to download music from the internet if the artsit or producer is receiving pay for the work that they have done. You can download music through any legal music sites as listed below. You cannot download music from the internet if the file is a shared file, ripped or BitTorrent.

What are some internet sites to download from?
You can download music from any sites that follow copyright laws. The artist can set the price on some sites such as bandcamp and regulate the purchases. Sites such as itunes, rhapsody, napster, and other such sites have a set price which you pay for all music. These sites are not illeagal. Any file sharing host sites or BitTorrent hosting sites are illeagal for they are peer to peer file sharing without any pay to the artist or producer. 

What is the penalty for illegally downloading music from the internet?
in the united states if you copy and distribute copyrighted music you can be subject to 5 years in prison and charged with up to a $250,000 dollar fine for first time offenders. Repeat offenders can face up to six years in prison and a $150,000 dollar fine for every copyright infringement so for every song you download you must pay $150,000 dollars in fines.