Among seemingly endless options for music downloads on the web, there are genuine websites and there are outright scams. Fortunately, the latter are less common. They primarily aim at the first-time users, who are just exploring the option of music downloads on the Internet and in all the excitement are likely to part with their money easily.

Any user with more or less common sense understands that free music websites can potentially be dangerous, and it is stupid to expect super-service and full protection without paying a penny. You know that if your computer gets a virus, or the song you downloaded is of lousy quality, the fault is basically yours for not caring enough when choosing the website for music downloads.

However, expectations are invariably higher when you pay your hard-earned money, even if it is a few bucks. Membership or subscription sites for unlimited music downloads are supposed to be secure, legal and packed with awesome content and handy features. However, it is not always so, and among paid websites there are plenty of scams as well.

One of the examples are some sites, which claim to have an enormous number of music downloads (as well as other media), nearing a hundred million. However, when you try to see what genre of music exactly they offer, you see nothing on their site. Some of these only have a small database of less than a few thousand files.

If you are lucky enough to find a disclaimer, you will realize that the website doesn’t actually facilitate in the download process in any way. What they do is only provide you with download links for a few thousand music downloads! Now, is this what you expect when you read all the loud claims about millions of files ready for you at just an average $40?

Other possible scams include low quality

Round-Up of "Must Have" iPod Touch Games for 2008
As has been the case for the past six holidays, on Christmas morning many will find an iPod under the Christmas tree. Nowadays the number is in the millions. Whether you've just torn open a...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
All of us here at iPod Hacks want to wish you and yours a merry Christmas and happy holidays! We certainly hope that every one of our readers found an iPod, an iPhone, or related goodies under the...
Floola 4.1 Released
Floola 4.1 has just been released. Floola is an application to efficiently manage your iPod or your Motorola mobile phone (any model that supports iTunes) under Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. Video...
2G iPod Touch Notably Faster than the iPhone
Ever seem like an App Store game runs faster (or slower) on your friend's iPhone or iPod touch as compared to your own? We have seen mention of this phenomenon and it always puzzled us. Internally,...
Firmware 2.2 Released for iPhone and iPod Touch
Apple has released firmware version 2.2 for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update can be found through iTunes' software update.Changes in this latest firmware release according to Apple:Enhancements...
TrailRunner 1.8 (v288) Released
Hikers, joggers, and active folk in general should have a look at Berbie's TrailRunner 1.8 (v288) for Mac OS X. TrailRunner is a route planning software for all kinds of long distance sports like...
The Skinny On iPod "Father" Fadell's Exodus From Apple
We recently reported on the departure of Tony Fadell--the "father" of the iPod--from Apple Inc. At that point the how's and why's were rather vague. John Gruber of Daring Fireball sheds some light...
Floola 3.9 Released
Floola 3.9 has just been released. Floola is an application to efficiently manage your iPod or your Motorola mobile phone (any model that supports iTunes) under Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. Video...
Turn Your iPhone Into A Wind Instrument With 'Ocarina'
As MacRumors reports, several days ago, iPhone developer Smule released a rather unique musical application called Ocarina [App Store]. Since its release, Ocarina has jumped to the 3rd most popular...
iPhone More Reliable Than Blackberry, Treo
As TUAW reports, SquareTrade, an independent warranty provider has released a report that shows the iPhone to be more reliable than either the Palm Treo or BlackBerry devices.The report, titled...
Official iPhone Tethering Option Coming Soon From AT&T
As MobileCrunch reports, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega revealed during an interview that AT&T would "soon" be offering an official tethering option for the iPhone. Tethering is a process by...
iPod "Father" Tony Fadell Leaves Apple
Apple has recently issued a press release noting the departure of Tony Fadell, who was most directly the "man behind the iPod."Apple also announced that Tony Fadell, Apple's senior vice president of...
The iPod-O-Lantern - Happy Halloween From iPod Hacks!
It's Halloween! And here at iPod Hacks we've let the spirit of this special day take hold of us. All it took was a crisp autumn eve with leaves dancing magically on the wind, a patch of uncarved...
CoverScout 3.0.1 Released
Equinux AG has released CoverScout v3.0.1 for Mac OS X. CoverScout strives to be a one-stop-app for finding, applying, editing and printing all of the album cover art in your iTunes music library....
Google Releases 'Google Earth' For iPhone (For Free)
Google has released a free iPhone version of its excellent Google Earth application [App Store]. And having spent some time with the app, I can safely say...it's great.With just a swipe of your...
Happy 7th Birthday, iPod
It cost $399. It was 5GB in capacity (which Apple then called 1000 songs, but would now call 1250 songs...). It was shiny silver and white. It was brick-like (4.02" x 2.42" x 0.78", 0.41 lbs). ...
Apple Reports $1.14 Billion Profit For Q4 2008
As MacRumors reports across various posts, Apple announced its financial results yesterday for the 4th quarter of fiscal 2008. It was an impressive quarter for the iPod maker. Highpoints:Apple...
Cooliris "3D Wall" Photo Browser Is Now A Free iPhone App
As MacRumors' iPhone blog reports, Cooliris has released a free iPhone version [App Store] of their 3D "photo wall" browser plug-in that delivers a rather unique and ideal way of browsing images and...
iTunes Library Manager 5.2.1 Released
DougScripts.com brings us iTunes Library Manager v5.2.1 for Mac OS X. This AppleScript application facilitates multiple iTunes playlists each with their own preference seettings.For example, you can...
Xerox Printers Get iPhone Support
As Macworld UK reports, Xerox and its partners have introduced the Xerox Multi-Functional Printer suite, a software package that integrates certain Xerox printers with enterprise business systems. A...
Contexture Design's 80s Retro Cassette Tape Nano Cases
iPod nano users that pine for the 80s might want to have a look at Vancouver firm Contexture Design's retro iPod nano cases.These unique retro cases for first- and second-generation iPod nanos are...
beaTunes v1.2.15 Released
Looking to do some iPod DJing at your next party? Is finding a cluster of "matching" songs in your library proving to be a challenge? Have a look at beaTunes v1.2.15 for Mac OS X. beaTunes lets...
VoIP Arrives On The iPhone With Fring's Skype Support
As MacRumors' iPhone blog reports, Fring has released an iPhone version of their communications service today as a free App Store download [App Store].Fring allows you to chat and interact with...
Syncopation 2.1.3 Released
Sonzea LLC has released Syncopation 2.1.3 for Mac OS X. Syncopation provides a hands-free solution to keep your iTunes music collection synchronized across multiple computers running Mac OS X....
A Look At What's Wrong With The iTunes App Store
On June 9, the iTunes App Store went live and users began downloading and enjoying the fruits of many developers' labor. Apple offers an extremely robust software development kit for the iPhone...

and poor selection of songs (though advertised as the next best thing), charging your credit card and disappearing forever with no downloads available in reality, and poor maintained websites with no money back guarantee. Some scammers make you pay for p2p share software that is actually available for free. The list of possible scam variants is frightfully long.

In order to protect yourself, your computer, and your money, it is highly recommended that you carry out a proper research before joining any music downloading site. Forums and independent blogs on music downloads as well as website reviews should give you an idea what to look for.

Read a full review of the top services for music downloads that are reputed for reliablity and excellent service standards at my entertainment blog.