Having trouble using TuneTribe? Our FAQs are designed to answer any questions you might have if you are thinking of buying music from TuneTribe. You can also use our Support form to submit details of any problems you are experiencing.

If you are new to downloading, it may also help to read our guide on how to download.

General questions

What is a download?
Can I preview the music before I decide to buy it?
How long does it take to download a track?
What happens if I accidentally delete or lose a downloaded track?
Can I select multiple tracks from different albums?
How often does new music get added to the TuneTribe shop?
Can I read about the music I like on TuneTribe?
How do I contact TuneTribe?

Technical questions

What are the minimum computer requirements for using TuneTribe?
Having trouble listening to samples?
What are MP3 and WMA files?
Which digital music file types are compatible with the player I own?
What is DRM?
What is the sound quality of the music files I download?
What does bitrate mean? And what bitrate are the tracks that I purchase?
How do I download a track?
My download didn't finish, what shall I do?
How can I play my music?
Can I put my music onto a CD?
Why wont my WMA files play on my device?

Legal questions

Is downloading music legal?
Can I move or copy my purchased tracks to another computer?
Do I own the tracks I download as I would a physical CD?

Pricing questions

Why should I pay to download music?
How much does it all cost?
Why are the prices different?
Is TuneTribe's pricing fair?
What forms of payment does TuneTribe accept?

What is a download?

A download describes the process of copying data from one location to another across the Internet.

In the case of music downloading, this means copying a digital music file from one place on the Internet (e.g. TuneTribe.com) and placing it on another (e.g. your home computer).

Can I preview the music before I decide to buy it?

You can hear a sample of almost every track on TuneTribe. This helps you decide if you want to buy it or not.

Next to each track there is a button called 'Play', which when clicked will play a 30 second sample of the track on your computer's default music player.

Some music may not have this feature as the length of the original tracks may be less than 30 seconds. Most tracks will though.

How long does it take to download a track?

Download times vary according to your connection speed and the size of the track you are downloading. The size of an average three minute track is about 4 mega bytes (MB). To download this size track on a broadband connection will take you around 1-2 minutes. On a dial-up connection this could be around 15 minutes.

The following times below are only guides for a 4MB music file and may vary:

Broadband = 1-2 minutes (depending on your connection speed)
28.8k modem = 30 minutes
56.6k modem = 15 minutes
ISDN = 5 minutes
Cable / T1 = 30 seconds

What happens if I accidentally delete or lose a downloaded track?

As the music we supply is in a digital format that can be stored on your computer or digital music player, the file can be deleted, lost or corrupted (damaged). You should be careful not to accidentally lose/damage your music files as when downloaded they are your responsibility. If it is our fault we will endeavour to resend the track.

Can I select multiple tracks from different albums?

Yes. Simply click on the 'Buy' button next to any track that you want to order. Each time you click this button the track is then added to your shopping basket. When you are ready you can click 'View basket' to edit your shopping list.

You can buy any album in the same way by simply clicking the 'Buy' button next to the album you want.

How often does new music get added to the TuneTribe shop?

We add lots of new releases every week. We also add lots of classic albums and tracks from the past on a weekly basis so you should be able to find what you want whether it's new or old.

Can I read about the music I like on TuneTribe?

Yes absolutely. Like you we love music and we have included in-depth editorial written by leading music journalists. Let us know what you think.

We will be expanding this in the near future to include community-based forums and user reviews so you too can have your say about the music you love or hate.

How do I contact TuneTribe.com?

If you require any additional information we will be happy to answer your questions. You can send our customer services team an email at and we will respond within 48 hours.

What are the minimum computer requirements for using TuneTribe?

You will need the following for downloading and playing music from TuneTribe:

On a PC:

Speakers or headphones and an installed sound card
Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP
Any Internet browser such as Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
Music player software (such as WinAmp or Windows Media Player)
(If you have purchased WMA music files, you must have the latest version of Windows Media Player installed. You can get it here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.aspx)

MAC users:

Speakers or headphones and an installed sound card
MAC OS 9.x or OSX (preferably OSX)

Having trouble listening to samples?

We use a flash-based music player at the top of every page of TuneTribe.com in order to play track samples quickly and efficiently. However you will need to have the latest version of Macromedia Flash Player installed on your system.

If you are on a slow connection it may take a while before the audio is downloaded and buffered on your computer (you can check the status of this in the text within the player).

If you do not see the player, you may need to delete your browsers' 'temporary internet files' (also known as 'clearing the cache').

What are MP3 and WMA files?

Both of these types of file are forms of electronic music that you can store on your computer, or a portable music player. They are created in a way that allows near-CD quality sound but also has a compressed file size so that it can be downloaded from the Internet and used with memory based audio players and portable media players.

Specifically, the WMA (Windows Media Audio) file is a format that was created by Microsoft and can be used for copyrighted and limited-use music. WMA files are only playable on certain players and devices: they are not compatible with iTunes and iPods. They also are subject to Digital Rights Management software (DRM: see below for definition).

MP3s are playable on all devices including iPods. They do not have DRM.

Which digital music file types are compatible with the player I own?

Digital music can be encoded in a variety of different file formats. TuneTribe sells both MP3s and WMAs. That's because we want to offer the widest possible choice of music. Next to all the tracks & albums on TuneTribe you can see either an MP3 or WMA symbol which tells you what kind of file format that piece of music comes in.

You can download MP3s which can be used with any digital music player be it an iPod, Creative Zen, Sony Walkman or whatever. MP3s can be used on any device.

Some of TuneTribe's catalogue is made up of WMA files. This is because the major record labels prefer to give us their music in that format. These WMA files cannot be used on iPods but can be used with Creative Zen, iRiver, Samsung, Rio or Archos players.

For a full list of digital players that are compatible with WMA files click here.

TO SUM UP, IF YOU HAVE AN MP3 PLAYER MADE BY:

iRiver, Creative, Samsung, Rio, Archos
You can use any files on TuneTribe, both WMA and MP3 files.

Sony
You should buy MP3 files on TuneTribe

iPod, iPod Mini, iPod Nano or other Apple hardware
You should buy MP3 files on TuneTribe

What is DRM?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is protective software that restricts how many times a music file can be burnt to CD/ Minidisc/ DVD/ memory card and the number of devices (additional computers, digital music players, mobile phones etc) it can be transferred to. WMA files bought from TuneTribe are limited to 7 burns and 5 devices.

TuneTribe only uses DRM when stipulated by record labels. How we sell their music is down to the record labels and artists. Many of our tracks don't have it. DRM restrictions may vary depending on which label owns the music.

What is the sound quality of the music files I download?

The sound quality of the music offered on TuneTribe is close to that of a standard audio CD. It is not the same quality as a CD but it is high quality sound. We supply music files at a bitrate of at least 192kbps.

What does bitrate mean? And what bitrate are the tracks that I purchase?

The bitrate of a music file is describing the audio quality that the track has been encoded at (converted to digital format from the original recording). 'Kbps' (kilobits per second) basically means the number of digital samples bits.

The music files you purchase from us are encoded at a bitrate of at least 192kbps (and soon we will also offer them at 320kbps - some DJs prefer them at this bitrate).

For the human ear, 192kbps is hard to distinguish from CD quality sound. Dogs may disagree though.

How do I download a track?

After buying music from TuneTribe, you will be prompted to 'Open' or 'Save' your file(s). You must click 'Save' and choose somewhere on your computer's hard-drive to store the file. We recommend somewhere that you can easily find the files such as:

• On Windows XP, the 'My Music' folder in the 'My Documents' folder. Both of which can be accessed from the start menu.
• On a Mac, you will most probably not be asked and it will download straight to the desktop (if this is the default download location). You can then move them to the 'Music' folder on your Macintosh hard-drive.

My music download didn't finish, what shall I do?

1. Log in to TuneTribe by clicking 'Login here' link at top of any page (to the right of the TuneTribe logo), using the username/password you registered with.

2. Click on 'Account' link at the top of the page (this should have replaced the 'Login here' link).

3. On the left, under 'Account', choose 'Order History', and you will see links to your download on this page.

4. IMPORTANT! After you click on the link for your download, make sure you choose 'Save' to save the file to your hard drive, as trying to open the file before downloading it will cause it to fail.

How can I play my music?

In order to play a track on your computer, you will need to use the music player software that is installed on your computer.

By default in Windows the music player is called Windows Media Player. To play your track, go to the place where you saved the file when you downloaded it and double click on it. This should then open up your default music player and play the music.

If you want to play the music you downloaded on a personal digital music player, (for example an iPod) then you must consult the manufacturers manual that came with your device.

Can I put my music onto a CD?

Yes you can burn it on to CD for personal use. Tracks with DRM are restricted to a maximum of 7 burns

Why wont my WMA files play on my device?

Firstly, check that your device supports protected WMA files. You should check your device's manual or this website to see if your device is listed as a 'PlaysForSure' device.

If your device does support protected WMA files, then you need to make sure you are using the latest version of 'Microsoft Windows Media Player' (version 10). Windows Media Player version 9 will play our protected WMA's but it will not allow for CD burning or device transfer, and all other versions before this will not support the files at all.

Is downloading music legal?

Downloading music is legal as long as all of the copyright holders of that particular piece of music have given permission for it to be downloaded and stored in digital format. All music sold on TuneTribe is 100% legal and has been licensed by the relevant rights holders for downloading via this site.

Can I move or copy my purchased tracks to another computer?

It is illegal to move or copy your music files onto another computer or device that belongs to someone else, as this constitutes illegal file-sharing and breaks copyright law.

However, copying or moving files that you have downloaded from TuneTribe onto other computers and devices (MP3 players or mobile phones, for example) that you own is considered fair use and is allowed.

Do I own the tracks like I would a physical CD?

After paying for and downloading the music file, the track is yours to keep for personal use only. However, the same copyright laws will apply exactly as if it were a physical compact disc you purchased from a high street store.

You can of course copy any download from TuneTribe on to a CD for personal use. Tracks with DRM are restricted to a maximum of 7 burns.

Why should I pay to download music?

When you download music from TuneTribe you will be helping to invest in the future of music. We believe music should not be free. Artists, bands, record labels and music distributors like us need to earn money for the work we do, just as a baker, bookseller or clothes shop does.

How much does it all cost?

The basic price for an individual track is £0.79p, and an album will cost slightly less than or equal to the total price of all its tracks. This will vary according to the individual artist's or label's requirements. Some will be cheaper.

There are no subscription charges for becoming a member of TuneTribe.

Why are the prices different?

Some albums and tracks cost more or less than others. This is because we allow each record label to decide how much they want to charge for selling their music on TuneTribe. We don't set the price.

Is TuneTribe's pricing fair?

We believe we offer a fair trading policy. This is because we allow the artists or record labels themselves to set the price for their own music.

Unlike other legal music download sites we also give back 80% of the net profit of each sale to the artist or record label. We only keep 20%. We do this because we want to help new artists and record labels. This helps get more good music to more people.

What forms of payment do you accept?

Our secure online payment site allows you to use PayPal or any of the major cards to securely purchase your music.