When most people download music, they're usually pretty well aware of whether they are acquiring it legally or not. The usual legal methods - iTunes, Amazon MP3, eMusic, Amie Street, even Wal-Mart - are not only easy to use, they can be found practically everywhere you look. With this in mind, is there really much of a reason to have an official "trustmark" for music retailers to display, indicating that you are, in fact, not pirating when you buy from them?

Music Matters thinks so. The organization, launched this week, is a collection of music industry players trying to educate the public about consuming music the "ethical way." That is, paying for it rather than downloading it from your favorite P2P client. According to the Music Matters website, the goal of the trustmark is to help music fans differentiate legal sources of music from illegal ones. Current supporting partners include iTunes, Amazon.co.uk, MTV, Napster 2.0, MySpace, and more.

The problem is that participating music sellers must voluntarily agree to display the Music Matters trustmark, and not every one will. Additionally, there are numerous independent musicians who distribute their music their own way - either as free downloads on their websites or even via BitTorrent - that aren't likely to display the mark either. (The yearly SXSW band releases, for example, are often distributed via BitTorrent.)

Music coming from nonmembers can be just as legal as music coming from members, and there's no guarantee that even the more well-known music stores will participate. So how, exactly, will this make a difference? Music Matters claims that 19 out of every 20 tracks downloaded globally are done so illegally - however, even the most tech illiterate of users usually know when they're doing something on the down-low or not. People making a conscious decision to pirate music aren't likely to change their habits thanks to the lack of a logo.