Discover music for free using the power of the web.

SliceThePie's a clever site which pays you for reviewing unsigned bands, so it's a bit different to those above, but there's always a lingering chance you could discover the next Arctic Monkeys amongst the dross. At first you'll only get 5p per review, but build up some status and you can start commanding up to 25p a go. Okay, so it won't make you rich, but some have earned £200/year for their trouble.

What's more, if you find a band you like, you can nominate them to have a single released, and even grab shares in it so you can prosper when they do and gloat about your talent-scouting abilities all at once. The ins and outs of the system are too plentiful to list here, so check the site's tutorials to see if it's for you before getting involved.

Pros: It's innovative, and erm... you get paid!
Cons: Some bands are distinctly terrible, and to build respect you'll have to review genres you don't like.

Musicovery touts itself simply as an interactive web radio station, but once you've played with it for a while you'll notice it does much more. Rather than just listing artists, for example, it offers a pretty brainstorm-esque presentation, mapping relationships between them as a system of interlinked planets (click the link and you'll understand!).

There are plenty of ways to choose what you start listening to; one of the most novel is by mood (energetic, positive, calm etc), though it's also possible to choose by year, genre, tempo, and even success, so you can shun chart releases in favour of slept-on classics.

On the downside though, if you want better sound quality (and the free service is pretty lo-fi) you'll have to upgrade to the premium version, at a cost of 4 Euros/mth for a three-month contract, or 3 Euros/month over a year. Nonetheless, in terms of helping you find music you could easily have missed, it's second-to-none.

Pros: Intuitive interface, Original presentation, Choosing music by mood.
Cons: Sound quality

Web start-up success story Last fm (bought by CBS for £140M in 2007) will also pick songs it thinks you'll like based on your listening habits. It does this by installing a little program called 'Audioscrobbler', which follows what you're listening to on your media player and tells the Last fm server, which latter picks out similar artists and makes you a personalised streaming radio station.

Yet that's just the beginning here; other Last FM users can see info like your most-played songs on your profile page (so be careful with those guilty pleasures...), and there are all manner of ways to communicate with them based on your shared love of the same band etc, even if your taste is what most would deem 'terminally unhip'. Some will be put off by this element, but it's a boon if you'll take advantage.

The downside of the service though is privacy; as well as tracking your tastes so it can suggest good music, Last FM supplies your playlist info to music labels for marketing purposes. Of course, since it's free, you could always sign up under an assumed name...

Pros: Massive range of music, Exclusives, Super easy-to-use.
Cons: Privacy issues, Need to download player

If you just want music, now, Jango's the best bet. Open the site, type in the name of somebody you like and Jango'll play you some music. Delve deeper and make a profile and you'll find similar social networking elements to Last FM; the site will tell you what 'like-minds' are listening to, and you can listen to others' virtual station if you tire of yours.

As Jango is still relatively new, the number of songs it hosts is comparatively limited, as is the number of artists. Those with more esoteric tastes should head over to Last FM, but if you just want to hear 'that Madonna song' you'll be catered for.

Pros: Instant music, No downloads, Less privacy-busting than Last.FM
Cons: Limited choice compared to others, Website a touch buggy.