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[MSE Lawrence]

This is the forum discussion to link on the back of the tip deal:

Discover new music for free

Know of a site or service that I've missed out? Please post below and I'll add it in.

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[jezza2412]

I use http://www.amiestreet.com

MP3s (proper non-DRM) start free or very cheap and increase in price (up to a maximum of US$0.99) as they become more popular, so if you're a trendsetter rather than a follower, and get in quick...

There's lots of independent stuff (and surely that's exactly how you discover new music), mixed with some big names.

[superhoop]

If you don't mind listening to a short (c.10 second) advert before a track, then:

www.we7.com

Backed by od2, a well-established online music distribution network backed by Peter Gabriel, we7 has a huge catalogue. It had recently been boosted by the addition of over 100,000 tracks from the BMG/RCA catalogue.

Some of the catalogue can be downloaded with ads, some only streamed. But it's a highly professional service. I like it a lot.

Good luck!

[massedgadget]

You could try http://www.archive.org/index.php
and check the Live Music Archive or the Audio sections.

http://www.last.fm is pretty reliable at selecting something you will like based on your preferences.

http://music.aol.com/radioguide/bb has a great number of different styles of radio stations.

If you like podcasts and rock in all it's flavours try http://www.thedividingline.com/archives.html

And then there are the podsafe music sites:
http://music.podshow.com/
and
http://www.podsafeaudio.com/

and finally, try before you buy and share: http://www.magnatune.com/

enjoy

[mikebostock]

www.GigaHitz.com is a new music website. Fans can join free, listen to a wide range of music and complete surveys covering the music and other areas like image. Its a chance to give an opinion in a way that directly helps the bands and in return you get free music downloads. This information is used to provide extensive marketing services for bands and artists as well as giving them great exposure. The bands can join free, whether signed or not and create their own mini-sites and surveys. They can use GigaHitz to develop their music and their careers. Worth a visit!

[relative_millionaire]

Ditto to superhoop above.

[MALT]

I'm a member of http://www.gigahitz.com also and it is excellent.

I'm pretty sure you get 3 free music downloads just for registering and for every friend you recommend using their referral system you get an extra 2 free music downloads.

[damski]

have a look at

http://www.jamendo.com/en/

free legal unlimited downloads

full albums, and a huge variety

enjoy

[mistersaxon]

I'm going to add that you can listen to the internet radio streams through most of the media players and generally find a "station" playing something for your mood. It's a certainty you won't have heard every track these folks play and probably you won't have heard most of them.
My preference is iTunes, just because it works with the 'Pod. YMMV.

Rich.

[brainwaster]

Mixturtle is pretty good, just type in what you are looking for and it lists all the stuff it has by that artist and you can listen to it online

[Curlytop]

Its got to be www.last.fm for me.
It's brilliant at suggesting music based on what you actually listen to on your computer. I've found stacks of new music, particularly from little known and unsigned artists. It's basic service is free to use and, it pays the artists everytime someone listens to their stuff.

[plasticniki]

spotify?

http://www.spotify.com/en/

streams nearly everything you'd ever want, from recent popular stuff to the more obscure. i reckon it's the best music app since last.fm. invite only for the moment tho, but i have 5 invites. email me [plasticniki AT gmail DOT com] if you'd like one!

[techygirl]

Also, if you want to save your invites, the guys at Spotify have opened up a temporary URL for everyone (in the UK) to have accounts - www.spotify.com/en/get-started

[zenseeker]

A couple of the best sites I have found are:

http://music.download.com/ (this site has compatibility issues with Firefox, you'll need the IE plug-in)

http://vampirefreaks.com/bands.php (for the goths/emo's out there)

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by plasticniki

spotify?

http://www.spotify.com/en/

streams nearly everything you'd ever want, from recent popular stuff to the more obscure. i reckon it's the best music app since last.fm. invite only for the moment tho, but i have 5 invites. email me [plasticniki AT gmail DOT com] if you'd like one!

I'd second that, and now it no longer needs an invite it really ought to be listed on the web site.

[*MF*]

Two sister sites - out of New York

http://www.sky.fm/

http://www.di.fm/

Been a member on both for ages - great range of music, if you can't find what you like here, it doesn't exist - both free (with infrequent ads).

And two great member forums to link to ... members from all over the world - great places, honest!

Have a look and a listen while the MSE site is down this weekend - why not?

[mclovin1980]

I'd add to the support for Spotify - amazing catalogue of songs and a very easy to use interface. There's also a new site I've started using, Grooveshark (www dot grooveshark dot com). It's free to use (like Spotify) but is fully web based and doesn't require any software to be downloaded. It also has a pretty extensive catalogue of songs.

[sausagefans]

You can sometimes get a free single from the iTunes free single of the week download. This is signposted on the main iTune store page. They often also have the first episode of TV series'. I am, for example, just downloading a Top Gear and have had a Bear Gryles before.

Hope this is of some use.

SP

[Pixieboy]

Lots of live sessions available here to stream or download: - http://www.daytrotter.com/al/artists/alphabetical.html
To quote from the site
"In case you’re wondering, Daytrotter is a recording studio with a website. We invite musicians to our studio, record their songs, and give (give, as in “for free, no strings attached”) them to you, from our website. Simple. Of course, if you’re here you probably already knew that. Please tell your friends. There are plenty of songs for everyone."

Lots of new bands/artists as well as some established names.

Wire, Emma Pollock (ex-delgados), Nickel Eye (Strokes solo project), White Lies, Glasvegas (no download tho'), Dinosaur jr, Jeffrey Lewis, Stephen Malkmus, Foal, fleet foxes, soft pack, los campesinos, dungen, of montreal, Tricky

go take a listen!

[Andyhampshire]

Spotify just gets better and better, you can find almost anything recorded in the last 50 years and they seem to be adding tracks at the rate of 100's every day.

The only downside is you have to be online as it 'streams' the music rather than letting you download it BUT you can use a bit of third party software from to convert to normal mp3's. I can't put the link in but if you google 'savespotify' thats a good starting point!