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Secondary MP3 Resources  
wide-ranging, eclectic, obscure, lovable, etc.

Here are a number of web sites that either host or point to MP3s that for one reason or another I didn't want to include on the main Music Site Guide page. It's a fine line, but sites that feature an overwhelming percentage of largely unknown musicians, even if they're not upload free-for-alls, are usually going to end up on this page rather than on the Music Site Guide page. Also, sites that point by and large to MP3s found on sites already in the Music Site Guide are mostly going to be listed here.

There are more sites like these on the web than you'll find below; I seek to point you to those I find particularly agreeable, for one idiosyncratic reason or another. Note that the number of sites on this page, however, has been shrinking through 2006 and into 2007, as more and more of these sites seem to be withering on the electronic vine.



Oddio Overplay
Oddio Overplay is an expansive, friendly site that points to all sorts of places where free and legal music can be had on the web. The specialty here is on sounds that are "far from the mainstream," as the site says; the vibe is home-spun and affectionate. Katya, who runs the place, has an unending capacity to find hidden and wide-rangingly obscure music online and a joyful, infectious willingness to share her discoveries. This has always been one of my favorite, offbeat sites to visit to find interesting music; the vibe is so friendly and welcoming, the design so crisp and appealing, that I tend to overlook how kind of confusing it can be. Poke around, you will be amply rewarded, and consistently reminded that in the 21st century, the gems are much more likely to be found on the fringe than in the middle of the fabric.


Artist Direct
My goodness, the name Artist Direct brings back memories of the early years here on Fingertips, back in '03 and '04, when all sorts of interesting and exclusive MP3s might be found on the this otherwise mysterious site. (Okay, it claims to be "a network of web sites offering multi-media content, music news and information, communities organized around shared music interests, music-related specialty commerce and digital music services"; like I said, it's a mystery.) (Oh, and note that they insist on spelling it ARTISTdirect but such flagrantly pointless capitalization is unlawful according to the Fingertips Style Sheet). Eventually the site appeared to pull all of its free and legal MP3s but what's this? I seem to have stumbled upon a page of--yes--free and legal MP3s here, about three dozen of them. And me, I thought the place had gone belly up years ago. I still have no idea why this web site exists, but I will note that among some more widely available MP3s are maybe a few songs--"Know Your Onion" by the Shins and "Smile" by Lily Allen among them--that I don't think are otherwise out there online as free and legals. I don't know how often this page is updated but it's worth checking out.


Tonspion
Even though I can't speak German, I can tell that Tonspion is a pretty darned interesting and useful MP3 site, and that the folks behind it are doing their legwork and their homework. A lot of the music the site features is in English, even if none of the descriptions are. While they do borrow a good bit, MP3-wise, from both Epitonic and Insound, they also find enough MP3s in many other nooks and crannies on the web to make regular visits here definitely worthwhile. (None of the MP3s are exclusive to Tonspion, which is why I finally decided to move this entry from the MP3 Hub section here to the Boutique section.) I can't give you too many browsing hints, given the language issue, but if you go there and start clicking around you'll bump into lots of interesting things. For a start, try clicking the "MP3" box next to the word "Tonspion" at the top of the page.


MP3 4U
Functioning as a sort of group MP3 blog, MP3 4U uses a coterie of some 70 internet-surfing music fans (called "sources") to track down good free and legal MP3s from various nooks and crannies around the web. It's a cool idea, so don't let the somewhat confusing and cheesy-looking layout deter you from poking around. When all is said and done, MP3 4U turns out to be a worthwhile place to visit semi-regularly, particularly as you familiarize yourself with the tastes of the various sources. Somewhere along the way, in 2007 or so, MP3 4U became part of a larger network of sites at the base of which is something called Muzic, which aims to be another music community site but this one focused entirely on free and legal MP3s.


Daytrotter
Daytrotter is one of the few unique MP3 resources online: rather than scurrying around to find overlooked MP3s that are posted elsewhere, Daytrotter generates its own content by bringing touring musicians into a recording studio, having them record live their four favorite songs, and putting the resultant MP3s online for free. The Daytrotter folks are located in downtown Rock Island, Illinois, off I-80, which makes it relatively convenient for indie rockers on the road to stop by and do their thing. The site has been up since March '06; among the many who have recorded songs for Daytrotter so far are the National, Asobi Seksu, Robbers on High Street, and White Rabbits. Go here for a list of all the acts to date. (And note one more unique feature of the site: it has its own in-house illustrator.)


RCRDLBL
A well-publicized new site featuring free and legal MP3s from a consortium of independent record labels--including Dim Mak, Seen, and Warp--RCRDLBL is a nice idea in theory. In practice, it's a disorienting combination of a blog and a web site, offering neither a standard home page to plainly introduce us to what's going on nor an obvious blog experience with a proper sense of continuity of posts. While there are no doubt some good MP3s to be had here, really, I find RCRDLBL an unexpectedly dissatisfying experience. And this tunnel-visioned site nevertheless gets selected by Entertainment Weekly as one of the best music sites on the web? Because you can (with difficulty) find free and legal MP3s there? Hello? Old media still doesn't get new media, much of the time.


Canadian Audio/Video
Billing itself as "Canada's A/V, Band and Music Information Source," this blog-like web site often features a free and legal download in its daily postings. Note that these MP3 links are from artists from all over the place, not just Canada. The site also has extended page of free and legal MP3 links which you'll find here. These too feature artists who are not just Canadian--not that there's anything wrong with Canadian musicians, who are in my opinion among the world's finest.


Spacelab
Subtitled "Reinventing the Future," Spacelab describes itself as a "broadband multimedia magazine" that has mostly to do with music and technology. They've gathered quite the array of free and legal MP3s on their downloads page. Some of them you'll have already found out about via Fingertips if you're a regular visitor here, but I'll never pretend to be comprehensive, so you may find any number of new and worthy things here. Then again, the site gives us no idea who is passing judgment on these songs and why we trust their taste; it's a typical (for the web) context-free environment, complete with no informatoin whatsoever about when the songs were posted, or when they were released. Given how hard Spacelab seeks to sell its "indie" cred I find the site's sterility and facelessness particularly ironic. That all said, hardy seekers of intersting free and legal MP3s should probably still give the site a visit. Thanks to visitor Julie for the lead here.


MySpace Music
As MySpace.com has become pretty much the "it" music community online here in the '00s, I still keep my relative distance from it. While the site may well be a hip and happening electronic gathering place, I judge it solely as a resource for high-quality free and legal MP3s, and as such it comes up lacking. Despite the hype and craze, I don't believe MySpace is in the same league as music.download.com as a music dowload site--there, the underlying free-for-all is counter-balanced by decent editing, independent content, and a much more browseable design. MySpace may yet move in that direction; if it does, successfully, I'll move it to the main Music Site Guide. Until then, visit individual band pages, sure, why not, but don't expect much out of the site as a browseable resource.


indiepoprock.net
This is a French site; I don't understand French; I therefore and unfortunately cannot tell you anything useful about this site except for the fact that it contains one extended page of free and legal MP3s collected from around the net. Among the many offerings are a number of former "This Week's Finds" selections (among them songs from the Shins, Okkervil River, Band of Horses, and Super Furry Animals), which suggests there are perhaps any number of other songs here worth listening to.


Triple J
Triple J is an Australian radio station focusing on new music from both Australia and around the world. About a dozen MP3s from relatively unknown bands are available at any given time on the "Listen" page. You can also, of course, listen to the station itself here, as a stream, along with interviews, celebrity mixed tapes, and other interesting features. Thanks to visitor Andrew for the tip.


No Karma
No Karma appears to be both a record company and an online store featuring music from a variety of other small labels--in the process of which it also appears to have gathered a goodly assortment of MP3s, some of which may in fact be exclusive. It's a mixed bag to be sure, and it's hard to tell how often, if at all, things are updated here. But the site is still be updated in general, so at least someone's breathing out there.


Ektoplazm
Ektoplazm is a site devoted to a subgenre of music called psychedelic trance, or psytrance. Psytrance inspires a small but loyal flock of devotees, who no doubt appreciate the regular offerings of free and legal music to be found here, in addition to news, event listings, and reviews all related to the psytrance scene.



updated 26 Jun 08





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MP3s HOSTED ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL PUBLICATION SITES

One separate kind of secondary MP3 resource is that offered by local and regional publications around the country. These publications--sometimes traditional newspapers, but usually so-called "alternative" newspapers--allow local musicians to upload songs to the web site for people to listen to. This is a nice service for the local music scene, to be sure. How useful such sites are to music fans around the country or the world is questionable, as what these publications tend to create are local versions of upload free-for-alls. That said, I am going to continue to collect a list of local and regional publications with free and legal MP3s on their sites and I'll keep that list on a separate page for anyone interested.