

So the likelihood they would come after you is minimal unless you are using the copyrighted material for profit, causing a wave with a major big-time corporation. The truth is, YouTube has not once sued a person or an entity for downloading videos from their platform. If you are needing to obtain permission from the copyright owner, you’ll need to contact them directly and make sure to get written confirmation for your records. That is unless it’s copyright-free content such as Creative Commons – but we’ll get to that in a little bit. Their terms of service state that you are not allowed to download any content unless permitted by YouTube or the person who owns the copyright to the content. That’s how they make their money through advertisements. It’s no surprise that the company wouldn’t want you to watch videos that have been uploaded to their platform anywhere but on their website.

įirst, let’s take a look at the terms and conditions for using YouTube’s free service. Let’s go into some of the specifics to make sure you are covered the next time you download a YouTube video. However, it does depend on what you are using the content for and what specific rights you have to the content. Regardless of their reasoning, the question still remains for those who are afraid to try is whether downloading YouTube videos is illegal or not. Or, if space constraints aren't a concern, most sites also offer lossless FLAC or ALAC versions for a noticeable increase in quality (and they usually cost the same as MP3s).To sign up for our daily email newsletter, CLICK HERE Follow Follow are hundreds of reasons why someone would want to download YouTube videos directly to their device. If you want to save space and (maybe) money, lossy MP3s or AAC might be for you.

Sure, you could buy CDs and rip the music, but where do you then keep the physical discs? Online music stores offer instant downloads after your purchase - no need to bother with a physical disc - and there is often a choice of different formats. Most importantly, the tracks are yours to keep and to put on whatever device you want, plus it gives the artist more money to keep making more music. When you buy digital music files, such as MP3 or FLAC, there are a number of key benefits. That's just one of the reasons it makes sense to purchase and own your music. That is, if you stop paying the monthly fee, your access to the music disappears. Streaming music from a service like Spotify or Apple Music may be great, but sadly, it's not forever.
