Is it illegal to download music from sharazza?

Answer 1

In short: Yes, but. However, "Making unauthorised copies of copyrighted music recordings is against the law and may subject you to civil and criminal liability. A civil law suit could hold you responsible for thousands of dollars in damages. Criminal charges may leave you with a felony record, accompanied by up to five years of jail time and fines up to $250,000. You may find this surprising. After all, compact discs may be easily be copied multiple times with inexpensive CD-R burning technology. Further, when you're on the internet, digital information can seem to be as free as air.

U.S. copyright law does in fact provide full protection of sound recordings, whether they exist in the form of physical CD's or digital files. Regardless of the format at issue, the same basic principal applies: music sound recordings may not be copied or distributed without the permission of the owner." So, if you download music illegally, you do indeed run the risk of facing jail time; historically, however, fines (whether modest or, in many cases, exorbitant) are the usual punishment handed out by courts for internet piracy.