1. Talk with the music lovers in your home

Understand how your children are using the computer and how they access and share music and what else on the computer might be accessible to others.

Discuss copyright and who loses out when songs get distributed for free on the internet. Consider what would happen if you faced legal action – who would pay the bill or lose out if their internet access was disconnected?

2. Check your computer

Be aware of what is on your family computer – whether you or another member of the household put it there. Make sure that your computer is protected against viruses and spyware and has firewall software installed.

You can generally get free anti-virus software from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Up to date anti-virus software can screen most things downloaded to your computer, including spyware (but not violent images and porn) that comes from P2P services.

If you are using a wireless internet connection, you can easily secure the connection from hacking. Contact your ISP for more information.
Download free software on www.ifpi.org/dfc/downloads/dfc.html that will help you identify music files and uninstall P2P software.

3. Explore the web’s legal music

There are scores of legal music retailers on the Web and these sites are safe and guarantee sound quality. They offer millions of songs of all genres and periods online. There is a wide variety of ways to discover and buy music online; you can, for example, download individual songs or albums, stream music through an online radio or listen to a huge library of tracks on your computer or music player for a monthly subscription.

For links to over 500 legal music retailers worldwide, go to www.pro-music.org/musiconline.htm and find a service that operates in your country.