ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Free music

Okay, little one, let's talk about free music.

When you hear a song on the radio, your parents might tell you that they have to pay for it. That's because the people who made the song - the singer, the songwriter, the musician - need to be rewarded for their hard work. They put a lot of time and effort into creating the music so that we can enjoy it.

But there are also some songs and albums that you can listen to without having to pay for them. This is called "free music."

Sometimes, musicians will give away their music for free as a way to share their art with more people. They might hope that you'll like it so much that you'll want to buy their other music or see them in concert.

Other times, a website or app might offer free music because they make money a different way. They might show you ads or sell your information to advertisers in order to make money. So while you're not paying for the music directly, someone else is paying for it on your behalf.

It's important to remember that not all free music is legal or safe. Some websites might offer free music that they don't have permission to give away, or they might trick you into downloading something that's actually harmful for your computer. So if you want to listen to free music, it's always a good idea to make sure you're getting it from a trustworthy source.