Is it legal to change the pitch of a song, and then download it for free?

No. As other have pointed out, a derivative work is not new content, especially if it is the result of applying an algorithm without expending one iota of creative effort to create something that is actually different.

And if you had the skills to do this you wouldn't ask this question. Because you can't change the pitch of the song BEFORE downloading it unless you have administrative access to the server that hosts the file, or the hacking skills to circumvent the controls that protect access to that content. If you had those skills, the time you would spend to do something like that would be worth way more than the price of a download.

Taking somebody's creative property and disguising it a little doesn't change ownership. It's no different than stealing a car and then repainting it. It's still the car, right? What you're proposing is clearly a copyright violation unless you get permission from the owner.

Copyright means the right to control the copies. What is so hard for people to understand? It's not yours if you change the key, the tempo, 'remix' it, or make a 'mash up'. If it's not yours you can't take it. Period.

All of the above responses are right on the dime. But I STILL get the feeling that you intend to do this anyway, and then snicker about it - until you get caught. The fat FINE will be one thing - but as bad as the whole world knowing that you are a no-talent thief. If you steal from ANY of us who are career music professionals, then you steal from ME - so, what do YOU have at YOUR house, that is took you decades to learn to make by hand, and cost you many thousands of dollars in education and equipment, that *I* can come on over and steal from YOU???

Unless you own the copyright, or have the copyright holder's permission, of course it's not. You didn't create it. It's called "stealing".

I wonder what it is about this that people can't understand!

No, changing pitch, tempo, key or anything else does not matter one tiny bit when it comes to copyright infringements.

No. It is still illegal because you are not holding or owning the copyrights.

No, you're still using copyrighted content.

Uness he's gay