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Discover new music
Read the email this appeared inSince radio stations now seem to have more ad breaks than songs, it's no surprise many are turning to the web to get their new music fix. As well as clever sites which use your preferences to play you music you may actually want to hear, one'll even pay you hard cash to review songs!
This is a rundown of the best free sites for hearing new music, no matter what you're into.
- Get paid to review unsigned acts!
SliceThePie
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.
- Music to fit your mood:
Musicovery free version.
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
- Most comprehensive & social:
Last.fm
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
- Best for instant music:
Jango
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.
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Know of a free way to discover music online we've missed here? Please report it in the forum discussion and I'll add it in.
eMusic - Subscription-based music service: 35 free songs, then 30/month for £10.99.
Whilst not free, if you're on the lookout for cheap, legit mp3's to own, it's worth checking out the subscription site eMusic. Pay it £10.99/month (you can cancel anytime) and you get to download 30 tracks, which works out at 37p per song, almost half the price of iTunes.
Plus, new users get 35 introductory tracks for free, meaning that in the first month it works out at just 17p per track. None of the music is encrypted, so it'll play in anything mp3-compatible, and the cost per track goes down if you want more per month. The only caveat with this service is it's not so good for chart tunes; it's aimed more at the muso crowd.
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