Technically, this practice is illegal and infuriates music companies as it means less and less people are going to the shops and actually purchasing the CD's for themselves, thus leading to a big loss of profits for the music industry.

However, there are proposed changes to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 that should be in place by April 2008. This will be a godsend for music lovers all over the country as it means that the copying of CD's onto computers and mp3 players will be legal.

However, the term 'for private use' will be strictly enforced. Music downloads are not meant for public use in pubs, bars, clubs or parties. Even sharing these with your friends will be illegal. This comes under the terms of 'multi sharing' and will incur severe problems with the relevant authorities.

The new changes will also allow movies to be put onto a DVD legally but not the practice of 'multi copying'.

Legalising the practice of music downloads will still have the detrimental effect on music companies that they have struggled with for some time but maybe it will also force them to look at what they are charging to make music accessible to all.

The younger generation have never had a huge disposable income and this has been an easy way for them to enjoy their music. Even though music downloads have been illegal, many people have continued to do so and trying to stop people doing it was proving impossible. It is far easier to make music downloads legal but try the lesser enforcement of stopping the public use of these downloads.

The argument among those in favour of music downloads is that it makes new bands reachable to a wider audience. These bands are not so concerned with losing the revenue that their music could bring because they first need to get heard. They are all in favour of music downloads, and even sharing these as they receive a wider audience, more publicity and all the benefits that accompany this, such as the chance of getting 'discovered' by a musical company.

If the record industry is so against music downloads does it make sense that they would use it to find new bands for them to sign? Or is it a case of them wanting the music downloads stopped to prevent their record sales from taking a nose dive but it's ok for them to use the system to find new, unsigned bands that are likely to generate money for the record company?

At the end of the day, people the world over enjoy music and the more access they have to different types, the more competition will be generated bringing choice and benefits to music lovers and music makers alike.

While music downloads are a quick route to enjoying this music but if a person likes it enough, they will still go out and buy the CD.