No, this post isn't about where to find illegal music downloads. I'm guessing most people already know how to do that. Instead, I want to talk about places to find LEGAL music that doesn't suck. I already know what you're thinking ... free music equals local bands who can't even give their music away. That's what I thought until I started poking around to see what I could find. Surprisingly enough, there are tons of websites that offer really great music for free. Yes, you read it right ... FREE!
OK, here we go:
- Pandora - This site lets you create radio stations featuring your favorite bands, while suggesting other bands you might also like. For example, you can type in "Weezer" and a radio station will be created just for you featuring Weezer and other similar bands. You can even add a Pandora app to your Facebook page.
- the sixty-one - Here's another streaming site. The cool thing about the sixty-one is that you get to vote for your favorite songs. It's a little like American Idol, but without Paula's craziness and Simon's negativity.
- Last.fm - Their tagline is The Social Music Revolution. It's the world's largest social music platform. Not only can you listen to music, but you can show off your taste, see what your friends are listening to, find new music and build a personal radio station.
- grooveshark - This site is an online music community that rewards you for sharing, reviewing, and discovering new music. As you share your favorite songs with the community, you'll earn credits that can be used to buy more songs.
- purevolume - Showcasing unsigned artists, indie labels and major label artists, you can download from a selection of 100,000 free mp3s.
This is only a fraction of the sites out there that offer free music. Let me know if you have a website that you'd like me to list. In the meantime, happy listening!
Catie
