Since moving to LA, I've truly learned the importance of tipping servers and not downloading music illegally. Since I have met a lot of musicians and actors (who are usually waiting tables) you start to realize the effect that both tipping and ripping have on people. I've been pretty good for the last couple of years but I have to admit that a new site was brought to my attention and that, coupled with the need to download a lot of 80's songs for my friend's wedding party, got me back on the downloading teet.

The site is mp3eagle.com and it's kind of like a pay-for-play Limewire or Napster. For 100 bucks you can get unlimited downloads for a year. The quality is usually good (although the quality of playback on the site itself is lousy; it makes the songs sound worse than they do when you download them) and you don't have to deal with misnamed or looped or crappy quality or all of the other things that make Limewire and those other services annoying. You don't have to buy the yearlong unlimited service, you can just load in any amount of money you want and since the songs are about 3 cents a track and albums are usually around 2 bucks, a little money can go a long way.

Now, I'm not saying that you should go out and start using this site, especially when looking for records for new bands or indie outfits that really could use your money, but in this economic climate (yep, I'm using that as a rationalization) it's tough to turn down an offer like this, especially when it comes to older songs or albums that you always wanted to buy but never bothered to. (I'm looking at you, Beatles!)