Au Gratis. A beautiful Latin phrase that expresses a sentiment that makes my heart sing with a deep-seated happiness. Who ever thought diamonds were supposed to be the greatest treasure clearly never had the simple joy of getting something for free. The elation intermingled with an enormous self satisfaction. It’s the best. So what does this have to do with a music blog? Well it turns out there are many legal ways to discover new music for those too financially challenged for iTunes or Amazon mp3. These websites are great archives of new music, and an awesome way to listen to new releases from your favorite artists.
First on my list is the website Daytrotter. Filled with luscious live recordings from hundreds of artists, these unique recordings are offered as free downloads to the willing listener. Each unique recording session, which take place in Rock Island, IL, is stripped down to the bare minimum of what the artist in question had with them when they stopped by. In addition to each musical side note, each recording is accompanied by a detailed and whimsical description of the artist playing. Definitely a great place to discern new groups, or to geek out on old favorites.
Next up is the multimedia engine that is Stereogum. Packed with breaking news concerning every artist from Kanye West to Neon Indian and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, they’ve got the entire spectrum covered spanning from indie to ridiculously mainstream. Offering free streams of entire albums before they’re even released, and having numerous free mp3’s and visual accompaniment of official videos to boot, this makes Stereogum a goldmine for the music-lover entrepreneur in all of us.
Last is Spotify. Recently coming to the United States from overseas, this streaming service remains utterly refreshing. By putting in your email or Facebook ID, you get a link sent to your inbox that will allow you to download the Spotify program. You will have no regrets, I promise. Spotify gives you three tiers of pricing, but the free one is exceptional. It gives you access to thousands of songs from hundreds of artists in any genre. The free service has a minimal amount of commercials, and the ones they do play that hardly impede your listening enjoyment. Spotify will also create stations and grant recommendations based on your listening preferences.
Other sites I heartily recommend:
- Pitchfork
- RCRD LBL
- You Ain’t No Picasso
- The Music Slut
- Brooklyn Vegan
- Pretty Much Amazing
