5. Last FM
Last FM is a tool that you can download for your media player that collects information on what you listen to and builds a databse to show you your favourite artists and songs. However, it also offers the ability to listen to music for free streamed from their website. You can either listen to other users libraries or you can listen to your own which will consist (if you are a member) of music that you listen to.
This has helped me in various situations where I have had no music to listen to.
http://www.last.fm
4. Paul Van Dyk Player
The Paul Van Dyk player is a flash player that can be found on the internet, it has a simple interface and just has a small roundup of some of Van Dyk’s work. The player streams the music from the web and allows you to listen to it for free. Unfortunately there is only a small number of tracks up on the site so this is only useful if you are only staying on the web for a short time (or if you really love one track and want to listen to it over and over again).
http://www.ultrarecords.com/pvd/volume/player.html
3. InnerPartySystem
InnerPartySystem recently did a twenty minute mix of some of their most influential songs from other artists, and gues what, they allow you to download this mix completely free. It is a surreal mix, as it contains various genres, from rock, to industrial, and hip hop to indie. Sure it isn’t something you’re going to rock out to everytime you turn on your music, but it is good to have playing in the background when you are performing a time wasting task.
Another key note about IPS, is that the site where you are able to download the mix from, you can also download the track files from their album songs. What does this mean? Well, the track files being each inidividual instrument that was recorded for a specific song, as one seperate track, allowing anyone to get hold of these and create their own remix. Quite handy for the creative type.
One last thing that is worth a mention, IPS have a remix page on myspace, and in the past they have uploaded various songs that they have remixed, by other artists, and these have been available to download for free from the player. Now I am not sure if they will continue this, as I know that their mix of Ladyhawke’s Paris Is Burning used to be available, but once she released it, it was taken down, but, who knows!
http://www.innerpartysystem.net
2. Radiohead – In Rainbows
Certainly worth a mention. Radiohead shocked critics when they made their album available for ‘free’ from their website on the day of its release, however, they avoided the ‘free’ part by giving the listener an option to purchase the album, for any amount of sum that they wish, or swap it for something. Therefore Radiohead could see how faithful their fans were, sure, you can enter nothing and download the album for free, but lets show that we will actually pay for something good. Being a large Radiohead fan, I certainly made use of it.
On the note of Radiohead, I know that if you go onto Thom Yorke’s website and click around, there are some hidden links to download some free remixes of a small majority of his songs from his Eraser Album. Now I am not 100% sure if they are still there, but certainly worth a gander.
http://www.inrainbows.com/
1. Nine Inch Nails
How could we forget Mr. Reznor and his little adventures. NIN have certainly proven to the music industry that even if something is for free or available to purchase as well, that people will pay money. Reznor shocked fans when he released his album ‘The Slip’ only just a year after ‘Year Zero’, a 4th album within a short amount of time. Unlike the time gap between his ‘the Downward Spiral’ and ‘The Fragile’.
The Slip was released free of cost in 2008 and had no previous advertisement or mention. To download the album all you have to do is sign up, and for that? All that is needed is a user name and a password, simple! The album was made available as a physical copy, which Imost certainly purchased, and it came with some neat little stickers too.
http://theslip.nin.com
The reason why NIN is number one is not just because of The Slip, as it is a brilliant album, but the year before Reznor did the same thing with an instrumental album titled ‘Ghosts I-IV’. This album was purely a project that Reznor had taken up and created out of the blue. Users can download the first CD for free and listen to what he calls “the soundtrack of his life”. A second CD can be obtained via digital download only for $5, or for the physical thing, you can purchase the album (2 disc) for the usual price from your favourite music store. Other versions were made available, but I won’t go into that, simply Wiki it.
http://ghosts.nin.com
A further mention for NIN is something similar, but greater, than previously mentioned with IPS. Reznor started making the raw files from his songs available for listeners to remix, and the result of this was the NIN Remix page. Not only does it contain thousands of remixes by fans, but Reznor has also uplaoded unreleased, rare recordings, such as music from ‘the Fragile era’. A seventh version of ‘the Perfect Drug’, and an Untitled track taken from ‘Things Falling Apart’. Guess what, ALL of these can be downloaded for free.
http://remix.nin.com
One last thing, to support and promote Reznors ‘Lights in the Sky’ tour and ‘NINJA’ tour with Jane’s Addiction. He created 2 EP’s containing new tracks from NIN, and the other bands supporting NIN on the tour. Yes, available to download, for free.
http://dl.nin.com/lightsinthesky/signup
http://www.ninja2009.com/
360 Degree panoramic Camera
Umbrella Headband
Rain Saver
Portable Office Tie
Sleeping Helmet
Hay Fever Hat
Insect Swatter
Noodles Cooler
Baby Duster
Cat Duster
Umbrella Tie
Male Baby Milking
Butter Stick
Shoe Protectors