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Technology and digital media have really changed the way the recording industry conducts business. In fact, the big guns are finding themselves more and more at the mercy of the independent artist and the web savvy fan. After the blow up with Napster, it has really become a matter of figuring out how to provide free downloads without breaking the law. Here are some of the best places to download free music.
Word of warning: Free music does not necessarily translate to top 40 today music. Free downloads are the treasures of the true audiophile. Name acts that are included in these archives are usually offering older recordings or rare performances that aren’t on a commercial album. That’s not to say the occasional super-hit carrot won’t be dangled in front of the music fan’s face. It’s just to say that free downloads are for a different kind of music fan.
One of the coolest free music download sites encourages people to be interactive; CC Mixter offers music that can be downloaded and then remixed. In fact, it’s encouraged. Composers find this a particularly attractive way to get their music out there. It’s fun for the DJ and the deepest of audiophiles to share music.
Jamando is an international site that is also licensed through Creative Commons and it offers 32,000 albums for free. Internet Archive’s Audio Archive is another branch of this organization’s attempt to store and share old web content. Some very cool concerts and such can be downloaded here. Since the content is archived, you’ll find anything from Smashing Pumpkins to the Grateful Dead.
Since these sites are free, the artists must give their permission before the music is offered. That’s the rub because that means you can’t share the file with others without permission. Recording technology encodes many CDs so that sites like MySpace automatically recognize an illegal upload. Where there’s a way to cheat, there’s a way to create security.
