Streaming services like YouTube are convenient, but there may be times when you wish you could access some of that massive video and music library offline. The answer may not be obvious at first, but it is actually quite simple. We’ll recommend two of the best methods for downloading music and other resources from YouTube in this article. In addition, we’ll discuss the legality of saving clips offline and how it may impact the company’s terms of service.
Downloading Via YouTube-DLG
Many programmes and websites have come and gone with the goal of allowing users to download files from YouTube. However, many of these services contain bloatware, bogus advertisements, or are simply untrustworthy. YouTube-DLG steps in to help with these issues.
DLG is a free open-source project initiated as a graphical front-end for a text-based version of YouTube-DL. Nothing gets in the way of you using this interface. The user simply enters one or more URL addresses from which they want to download, chooses from a variety of video and audio formats, and lets DLG do the rest.
All of the file types will be ripped to a YouTube folder or another of your choice. DLG can also read files from Facebook, Twitter, and a variety of other video streaming services.
What Can You Legally Download from YouTube?
However, you must take precautions when grabbing such power, as some applications, such as YouTube-DLG, are not strictly legal. You should only download assets that are either public domain or fair use. Works that have entered the public domain can be downloaded, reproduced, and changed as the user sees fit under US copyright law. They are truly liberated.
According to Stanford University, there are four common methods by which works enter the public domain:
- The copyright is no longer valid.
- The copyright holder did not follow the copyright renewal rules.
- The copyright holder intentionally places it in the public domain, a practise known as “dedication.”
- This type of work is not protected by copyright law.
Fair use is a more difficult aspect of copyright law. Fair use applies to those who want to use the work of others for critical, educational, or transformative purposes. For example, while using a short movie scene as part of a film review is permissible under the fair use clause, uploading an entire scene without comments is not.
Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act states:
…the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including different versions for classroom use), scholarship, or research is not an infringement of copyright.
Keeping this in mind, downloading copyrighted music directly into your library for personal use is not legal. Third-party downloaders like DLG are also considered a violation of YouTube’s user agreement, as stated in the terms of service:
The restrictions listed below apply to your use of the Service. You are not permitted to:
1. access, reproduce, download, disperse, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, licence, alter, modify, or otherwise use any part of the Service or any Content unless expressly authorised by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders.
Be cautious because the company may use downloading content via this method as grounds for account suspension or termination.
Downloading Via YouTube Premium
Fortunately, there is an even safer method for downloading music and videos from YouTube that is guaranteed not to violate any laws or terms. The company has recently added a feature that allows users to save content directly from the website or mobile app. It can then be accessed whenever you open the app, even if you’re completely offline.
This feature is locked behind a paid YouTube premium subscription in the United States, but it is free in some other regions. When the feature is enabled, a download icon will appear under videos, next to the sharing and making comments features. The executable list of songs and videos can then be found and considered in the app’s library.
The only disadvantage is that works downloaded using this method cannot be moved, copied, or modified in any way by the user. They are still considered locked to YouTube and can only be accessed via the app. If you delete a saved video from the YouTube server, it will most likely be erased from your device the next time you connect to the internet. This is regarded as a necessary function in order to prevent copyright violations from occurring.
To summarize, a program like YouTube-DLG gives the user the most flexibility when it comes to downloading audio and video from the internet. However, using it at all quickly becomes a legal minefield.
The most secure way to save the content on your device is to download it directly from the YouTube app. However, you will have no control over where those songs and videos go or how long you can access them.
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