How did illegal music downloads start?

Illegal music downloads began in the late 1980s, with the introduction of personal computers and the ability to transfer music files between computers. In the early days, music files were shared through floppy disks or CDs, which were often swapped between friends or sold at music stores. As the internet began to develop, music files could be shared more easily through file sharing networks such as Napster and Kazaa. These networks allowed users to connect with each other and search for music files that they could download to their computers. The ability to download music for free without having to purchase it led to a significant decline in the sales of physical music formats such as CDs and DVDs.