Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

Aug 27, 2004

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All the major record labels are made up of numerous sub-labels. It's rare to see a new release from Sony Music that I like, but I'm a big fan of many V2 releases. Technically, both labels are part of the same greater whole. While I can't pretend all major labels are clued in, many of them are starting to understand the importance of letting fans sample the merchandise in some capacity. Most label sites are smart enough to let you stream some or all tracks from new releases. A smaller subset offer exclusive downloads of live versions or limited time release material from breaking artists. If indie is your favorite flavor of music, plenty of labels are offering tracks for download.

iTunes Weekly Free Tunes

Each Tuesday Apple releases a new single for free download. In order to get these freebies you need to install iTunes and create an iTunes Music Store account. These files are protected AAC format audio files, so you can't do anything you want with them, but with plenty of computer activations and iPod playback, the freebies are widely accessible. It's on you to remember to download because at week's end a new freebie takes the place of the current file.

AOL Music

I'd rather drink Cheez Whiz through a straw than admit AOL does anything right, yet I find myself drawn to their music page in search of free tracks from well known artists. This is one place where you need to check regularly because the freebies change frequently. AOL delivers 128 kbps MP3s of well known artists (as I write this Dwight Yoakam, Interpol, Tommy Lee, The Shins and Seether) with no DRM and the requirement of choosing a gender and zip code (do they really know if you're a woman living in Beverly Hills?) AOL also offers full CD streaming through a plug-in and some exclusive AOL Session videos, giving you the chance to preview a ton of music without spending a dime.

MTV.com

Viacom took the Music out of Music Television years ago but the Website is alive with the sounds of music. Registration is required in order to access free downloads, presumably so they can sell you stuff. The downloads are slightly imperfect, with a 30-day time bomb and no burning or portable device transfer, but if you want to try before you buy, this is definitely a way to try for free without wondering who or what might be trying to infect your system.

Furthurnet

I'm a big fan of The Black Crowes and solo performances by singer Chris Robinson. Both have been very willing to let fans record live performances and share them online for free. Furthurnet is one of the places I look for live performances because I know the quality will generally be quite good. I wouldn't consider searching the typical P2P networks because the quality is too suspect. These are downloads beyond the realm of traditional album material, occasionally including one-off performances of tracks you will never hear on any album. The site started as a network for jam band fans to swap files and has grown to support file sharing of any groups who actively encourage fans to share live recordings. The community is quite good at self-policing and is reasonably intolerant of swapping illegal files. Often the files swapped on Furthurnet are in FLAC or some other lossless format.

Just Concerts

Just Concerts is a CBC supported effort streaming live music from hundreds of mainstream performers. If you want to hear a live performance from a band, chances are, Just Concerts has something you want to hear. They also have a nice selection of studio sessions, but the meat of the material is just concerts. Because of the site's ties to Canadian Broadcasting, many of the musicians are from Canada. Audio (and video when available) is almost exclusively in RealAudio format.

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