Listen To Free Online Music Right Here

With the controversy of the decision against Free Online Music websites has brought on a call for reformation from the music industry while the fans want to hear the music of their favorite artist. Many musicians including the metal giants Metallica stood firm in their stance again free online music sites.



Though it is still illegal to download free music without paying royalties to the artists and music labels, there are up-and-coming bands and artists who allow you to listen to free online music. The catch there is they provide their own the music and of course, they give consent to websites to play their music for free. Why do you think they give permission while others are erring about it? For the independent musician it's great free advertising and free image building. And this is especially true for new independent bands and artists. Think about the free advertising these artists get when consumers like you get to enjoy their music for free! It's like a "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" type of deal.

So there you go with new artist trends. In my case, I have finally discovered a site, Bandcamp,  that allows for both free listening and paid downloading with as little fuss as possible. The soundplayer that you see here allows you to play the album "Mean Business" as often as you wish with no obligation to purchase. There is, however, the option to purchase the album with a 50% discount if you enter the word thistle at checkout. Many sites offer free listening but in order to purchase, the listener is generally sent of to Amazon and so forth. Some 'distributors' only allow people to listen to 30-second soundclips. This is particularly frustrating for the independent musician who want all of their music heard in a manner that gives the listener the 'big picture' of what the musician is really about.

If you are a consumer who has been stuck listening to one genre of music, you can actually browse for free online music and target other music genre. Usually, music artists have their own promotional releases that's made available online for you to listen. With such promotional material, independent musicians get to be recognized and get paid at the same time when advertising companies or websites promote their music. So it actually works out for both consumers and artists in the end....a win-win situation.

Now what if an artist scores a hit song and the public is clamoring for more of this artist's work? For sure this artist keeps his or her own websites where you could browse through and listen to the artist's music. You also have the option to purchase the artist's CDs in the same site. If there is a downloadable music option, go ahead and take advantage of it.


Another perk of listening to free online music is that you get to enjoy some of the promotions associated with your listening time. Most often than not, new artists promoting their new releases are being advertised in most music websites with your chance of winning tickets for free concert. So just imagine a gathering of thousand people to listen to the new artist's music during the concert. At least, this is the ideal situation that both artists and music labels hope will happen.


Listening to free online music is also a way of recognizing the new independent artists as well as already favoured independent musicians. Regardless of the perks associated with it, free online music for the public just create positive commendation to the artist. Further, free online music helps artists and music labels test the waters before taking the bigger risks that come as part and parcel of the music business

Cheap And Free Legal iPod Downloads

Today, the iPod is the indispensable multimedia gadget for youngsters. It started off as a pocket music machine, but soon graduated to a video machine and game machine. The number of persons using iPod has surpassed millions already. To enrich your iPod experience, you need iPod downloads, more precisely legal iPod downloads.



Legal actions against individuals that downloaded mp3 files to their machines via peer to peer software have sent shockwaves through the minds of music lovers. However, when you download from legitimate websites, it is totally legal. The problem arises when the creator of the content, be it music or software, complains about the illegal distribution of their products.


The number of websites that offer legal iPod downloads is also increasing. Whilst offering standard music, also available are movies, music videos and iPod games. You can download the content and upgrade your iPod in a matter of a few minutes.


Now though, you are faced with different questions. Which are the best iPod download sites? Which among them are legal iPod downloads sites? What are the costs for iPod downloading? Does the iPod download cause functional issues with your iPod? These are normal questions when it comes to iPod downloading.

Free or paid legal iPod downloads can be another question that may haunt you. In most cases it is beneficial to go for the paid legal iPod downloads services. Apart from paying for the music or the game software, you have no legal issues to deal with if you choose to stick to legal iPod downloads.


Illegal iPod downloads can also make your iPod crash with issues such as firmware damage and functionality problems. It is also quite possible to accidentally download viruses or trojans onto your iPod, which can erase or even permanently damage the content of your iPod.

Legal iPod downloads help you get the music, videos and games that you like without getting into any trouble. The quality content: music, videos and games -- those that you get from legal iPod downloads websites will also be of higher quality that those from illegal sources.

If you choose illegal iPod downloads, you are taking a chance - an big risk versus a relatively small reward. The risks are numerous - lower quality content, legal issues and potential damage to your iPod. Choosing legal iPod downloads is safer and won't put you into legal troubles.


Apart from the legal issues associated with looking for websites that function on the fringes of law, you also may face problems such as incompatible and low quality content. Furthermore, the content may contain malicious software that can affect the functioning of your iPod.


Depend on websites that offer free or paid downloads of music, movies and iPod games. The key word here is legal iPod downloads. It is the best way to ensure safety from legal action and to enjoy a high quality iPod experience for a long time.

Grab your copy of "Mean Business" for ONLY $5 by entering the codeword thistle

Someone Is Paying For Your Free Downloads

This entry is spurned by my long-time irritation that the Australian and New Zealand governments impose a 6% levy on purchases made from the iTunes American store. I have written to both parties on the matter over a period of time on three separate occasions and am yet to receive a response. (!)

Some people have a real dedication to music and the independent musicians too and would want to own every collection of that kind of music. The first place they look for their favorite music would be the internet. There, most people choose to buy music rather than download it online from a free source. I truly admire their ethics and support of the independent music industry. :)

If you decide to purchase music legitimately and also join the fight against Piracy, you will realize that there are lot choices there too. Many of the website who offer to sell music are very legal and do not have any copyrights issue. Also, independent musicians are now able to make the cost of your favorite music very affordable and you might see a lot of pleasant surprise at these websites. If you observe my 'Bandcamp' player to the left, you can stream "Mean Business" in it's entirety....as often as you like. You may also download only the tracks that you wish. Should you want the entire album, enter the codeword: thistle at checkout to receive a 50% discount on the entire album

The minute that most people see a website offering their favorite song or music for free, they instantly forget about buying the music and just end up downloading the music directly onto the system, not even considering doing a virus check. It is always advisable to check for viruses before dealing with either buying music or downloading for free so that your computer is not infected with virus. If the option to buy music is the only one set, your worries about viruses infecting your system reduces as all these websites are the legal ones and you choose to buy the music and not expect anything for free.

Control What's On Your mp3 Player

Music for mp3 players is probably the easiest product to find on the internet. Music is and always will be a part of our lives every day. The MP3 format has managed to fuel further the online public's music craze.

The main reason for this is that MP3 music is cheaper than offline sources and some sites even offer it for free, after a small one time membership fee. These music download sites are numerous online and you can feel secure in knowing that you can download MP3 music without the fear of breaking the law. It is a good idea when you download mp3 files from online music services, that know what your download membership allows you to do.

If you are the type of person who like to take control of the music that you listen to, then a music download site will be the perfect place for you to download MP3 music. It would seem that the digital music download is becoming the preferred way to get our music. This gives you the opportunity to be able to listen to your favorite mp3 music quicker than ever.

There is one site, Bandcamp, that I have discovered that gives the independent musician total control over the prices of their material. This encourages the musician to drastically reduce their prices and even offer free and discounted downloads. No middle-men. Artists keep 100% of sales, thus further encouraging us to lower our prices. Member of my website are shortly to be made privy to a limited-time free download directly from the site.

If you look at the sound player to your left, you can press 'play' and listen to the entire album, "Mean Business" as often as you like. You may wish to download only a few or just even one song. Should you decide to download the entire album, simply enter the codeword thistle to receive a 50% discount. The discounted price is displayed upon entering the codeword. Even at this stage you are under no obligation to proceed. It's al a matter of transparency to my mind. Keeping fans 'in the loop' as to the machinations of my preferred distributor and why.

As I stated earlier, there are literally tons of websites in various sizes and shapes that are offering free mp3 downloads, and they are just waiting for you to start to download your favorite tunes. One thing that you might like to know is that legal music download sites must give a portion of their fees back to the recording industry. Music for mp3 players will give you thousands of free mp3 songs and numerous hours of listening enjoyment for many years to come.

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Free Music Downloads...Think Of The Musician

Many studies have shown that adults that remember a time when recorded music was expensive and more difficult to obtain are much more cognizant and respectful of basic music Copyright Law. They understand why certain laws are in place, and some that are artists themselves have relied on Copyright Law to protect their creative expressions. Copyright Law also allows music and other art forms to perpetuate in the world, and is the reason there is so much variety available.

The music industry has been cracking down on how people get their music recently in response to the increased availability of downloadable music and digital music on the Internet. The music industry was largely unprepared for the sudden introduction of file sharing programs to music lovers, and it has taken several years for them to realize their impact on musicians, songwriters, other music professionals and record companies. Before the Internet, most young people bought CD's, and shared them by simply burning a copy for friends. While this was certainly a violation of Copyright Law, it somehow did not pose as large of a problem as when mp3 players became available making it possible for people to download free music off the Internet en mass through high-speed connections. The music industry has recently started filing lawsuit after lawsuit to stop this phenomenon and put systems in place to make music lovers pay for downloadable music. As was evidenced in recent lawsuits that were filed against those in small towns in middle America, you do not have to be high profile to suffer consequences for violating the law when it comes to digital music.

The industry has been driving hard to try to get the public to recognize that not paying for music takes money away from artists and musicians that they deserve for their hard work. While music is a source of entertainment and a cultural commodity for most, for those involved in creating it, it is a job that they rely on to make lives for themselves. Like any other professional, musicians can't be expected to do their work for free. While the amount some receive is certainly debatable, what is not debatable is that they should receive something. The latest drive to enforce Copyright Law by the music industry is causing a stir among young people. New anti-piracy software is now being put on CD's to cut down on illegal CD copying. The software prevents listeners from burning the CD more than five times.

Teens especially are noting that this will not stop others from discovering new ways to get music. Many adults agree that someone is bound to come up with a way around the software, as technology always seems to find a way to surmount obstacles that prevent free sharing of music, DVD's and other media.

Many teens note that there is an obvious and simple way around the anti-piracy software; all a person has to do is make a copy of the CD once and then use the copy to make more copies. Those invested in the downloadable music and digital music craze feel the anti-piracy software is really just a way to slow down some of the most avid copiers while the industry thinks of a more permanent solution.

Other teens support these new attempts to prevent people from getting music for free. They feel that music is a valuable part of everyone's lives that touches so many aspects that certainly free music or even cheap music should not even be an option. They fully understand why musicians deserve to be paid for the privilege of owning and listening to their music over and over again.

So what are some alternatives to illegally downloading digital music or free music?

There are many services that provide low-cost and virtually free music for professionals and individuals simply hoping to expand their music collection. For those still entrenched in the CD movement, there are some subscription services in development that will allow people to freely share unlimited CD's through the mail at very low cost and without violating Copyright Law.

As more services for downloadable music and digital music arrive on the scene and make a more competitive market, track downloads and album downloads are becoming cheaper. Even major distributors offers songs as 99 cents apiece, and entire albums at cut rates, so even young people can afford to buy music legally to enjoy.

As an alternative to digital music provided by major music providers, reputable royalty free music companies are bringing original tracks of music plus many high quality royalty free music versions of some favorite songs to listeners at affordable prices and sometimes even free. Royalty free music companies such as Royalty Free Music.com offer huge and very comprehensive downloadable music libraries with collections from every genre from classical and jazz to rock, techno, dance and Hip Hop. And with royalty free music, you pay to satisfy Copyright Law upfront so you don't have to worry later about any additional fees. Many royalty free music companies even offer totally free music that is of excellent quality and different from anything else available.

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Independent Music Buyer Beware

Many people are now tired of getting in the car and driving to the mall to shop for music. Also,  buying CDs by mail-order isn't any better; unless you're willing to pay for expedited shipping, you end up waiting for days for your tunes to arrive. Furthermore, all those CDs and their cases are becoming very cumbersome to keep and store... after all, you're probably just going to rip them to your computer, load them on your MP3 player and listen to them on the go. So, why not just save yourself all the hassle and acquire your music digitally, all ready for your music player?

As many people have by now discovered, there are many advantages to buying music online. Audio websites will allow you to browse their complete collection much more quickly and easily than you can in a retail store, and almost all of them will let you listen to a preview before you make your selections. And even better -- you aren't required to purchase an entire CD full of songs if you aren't thrilled with all of them; simply choose the ones you want and leave the rest behind!

From what I can determine, there is only one problem with downloading music online, and that's choosing the best site to use. With the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of music download sites available today, how do you select the one that will provide the most value for your money?

A good way to start is to think about your musical preferences. Do you like heavy metal, country, pop, classic rock and roll? You certainly don't want to limit yourself to a site that specializes in indie labels if your favorite groups are all mainstream pop. Likewise, don't frustrate yourself searching for bluegrass music on a site where the main headliners are Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper. 

When it comes to downloading independent music it's quite different. You may discover an independent musician with one or perhaps two songs that you want to download. A big mistake by many independent musicians is to put their best two tracks at the top of their list on music sites. Like many commercial artists, this doesn't guarantee an entire album of great songs thus leading to a backlash if the independent musician only allows for entire album downloads.

If an independent musician opts to put their material out there with major distributors, the potential music buyer only get to hear a randomly edited 'clip' of each song. Hardly enticing.

Some months back, I opted to distribute via Bandcamp. From the player to your left you can listen to the album "Mean Business" in its' entirety, track by track and as often as you wish. You can choose to download only the tracks that you may be particularly fond of. HINT#1: If you wish to download the entire album, enter the word thistle at checkout to see exactly what the discount is. Hint#2: It's a hefty discount. Even at this point, you are under no obligation to proceed. It is this total transparency that I feel is sadly lacking. Additionally, I intend to be making limited-time free single downloads to members of my website:  www.scotsbob.com

Once you've narrowed your choices to sites where you are likely to find your desired groups, it's time to take a look at pricing. Will you be charged a fee for each song you download, and if so, how much will it be? Some sites offer membership packages where you subscribe for a set fee each month -- you are then entitled to download a specified number of songs for free, or at a discounted rate. Some sites offer unlimited streaming with a membership, so you can listen online as much as you want and are only charged when you want to have your tunes "to-go" and download them to your computer, MP3 player, CD, or other device. Online music sites have devised countless payment tactics, so it's a good idea to evaluate a few of them to find out which will work best for you.

With Bandcamp and www.scotsbob.com there are no no limitations, no hidden costs....no fees at all infact, which allows me to release my music downloads at more than competitive prices.

Improved Access To Independent Music

It is very easy to buy rock music nowadays. This does not pertain to purchasing CDs, for this is all about buying rock music online. The Internet has definitely become one of the most reliable sources when it comes to searching for all sorts of products, even music.

As much as the professionals in the music industry hate to admit, it actually makes sense to buy rock music online. In any music CD, there are times when there would be just two or three songs that you like on the record. Getting the whole record would just incur more expenses on your part. Thus, it would be so much better to just buy the songs that you want from websites that offer this service.

It is not difficult to find websites offering such a service at all. In fact, you can just perform a search for these websites on any search engine, and you will surely find a plethora of websites for your listening pleasure.
Case in point....my own website My site is free join and I offer my music in varying formats. My personal favourite is Bandcamp. Releases via Bandcamp are offered in an variety of sound-file formats, downloading is a seamless affair, it accepts PayPal, individual tracks can be purchased and purchased cheaper than the major distributors whilst maintaining the highest quality sound-files.

If you note the player to your left, you can listen to the album "Mean Business" in its entirety....as often as you like. Bandcamp allows the musician to offer discounts. I believe in utilising this fantastic tool to the hilt. Simply enter the word thistle at checkout to view the discount. You are under no obligation to purchase, even at this point.

If you do not find the idea of buying music online as a new one, then you surely must be tired of the racket of buying songs for 99 cents. This service did garner much popularity; however, the same degree of popularity just does not exist today. With the advent of MP3s and such, this option no longer holds well with music fans all over the world. 

This brings me to latest racket in purchasing rock music, which are the paid band membership sites.

These are the websites that allow you to download their music to your heart's content. However, you would have to pay an annual membership fee to have unlimited access to their vast collection of music files. 

What's more, these paid membership sites are legally affiliated with major record labels all over the world. Thus, when you buy rock music from them, you are not giving the rock musicians the money that they deserve to get from you.

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Touring With A Rock Band

As is the case with digital music, the vast majority of people who continue to enjoy live music don't really know what goes into the production and transmission of it, particularly in the live setting as the rock band is pumping out great sounds to their audience and giving it their all. Why is the band giving it their all? They want the cash? Yes. They want to see the people who have paid to see them enjoy themselves? Yes. They're having an great time themselves, putting out every musicians drive; to have their music appreciated and 'understood.'



Every second that a band puts into a tour is paid back in much more then cash. After the tour, those irksome little tiffs soon blow away. 


The beauty of digital music for ones' iPod is that once it is created and uploaded, the process is over for the musician. Yes, they may have spent countless hours deliberating over this issue and that issue, lost a few hours sleep and sacked a few drummers, but this nowhere near accounts for how much work goes into one live performance, let alone a tour.


I am hoping to share from my own experiences in touring rock bands exactly how much goes into touring as a musician. There will be areas that vary or not apply.


I'm taking it as a 'given' that all venues, dates, times and accommodation have been arranged well in advance by your manager. The availability of band members, road crew and so forth should also be established. It is during this pre-tour phase that, while the manager is doing their promotional and organisational work, the band has their routine down pat. The band should allow a little flexibility re. times but only a little. Once a set list, or lists, is settled it should be firmly entrenched in your head. Any suggestions of deviations in the midst of a tour should be met with firm "No!"



On the day of heading off on tour everyone is abuzz. You should be abuzz. It's exciting stuff. This is a critical point for you and a point where things can go pear-shaped fast. Allowing more than enough time for getting to each venue may be all well and good as you to sit there reading this and nodding your head in agreement but the hours spent hanging around to hit the stage is an easy time for one to be led astray. I don't need to elaborate. If, like me, you found hanging around tedious, go have a lie down. It's much safer and it's legal.


Sound-checks should be done as early as is considered reasonable by the venue. If your sound engineer is worth his salt they shouldn't take long. They may vary in length dependent on the acoustics of a venue. I found that after the sound-check was a good time to try to sleep.


Ideally, instruments should be left on the stage and tuned-up. Your road crew will keep a close eye on them. If guitars are kept in their cases I guarantee that come show-time they won't be in tune and there's nothing worse than waiting for someone to tune-up during a gig.


I found that approximately an hour pre-gig was a good time to wake up. It was plenty of time to get organised and meet with the other band members but not long enough to start getting fed-up. The bands that I played in only did on long set but if your band do shorter sets I'd suggest breaks between sets of ten minutes and certainly no longer than fifteen minutes. Go backstage during these breaks. Again, your road crew will keep an eye on the stage.



After each gig is over, spend some time together as a band. Again, ten or fifteen minutes. Crowd members are inevitably going to want to meet you. This is something that I struggled with basically because I never knew what all the fuss was about. I am very much the same. Insults, I can retaliate to with a barrage of one-liners. Compliments are different. Irrespective, if logistics and time allow it is worth spending time with those who have gone out of their way and paid money to see you.


The majority of the time you will find that it's drunk people but it's worth putting up with as you never know who may be listening in. Be ever-vigilant that sober people are legit and any band-related matters should be redirected to your manager. Any comments not pertaining to music should be dealt with like hot coal; either not at all or carefully at best. Invitations to post-gig parties should be avoided.


After your post-gig socialising your next focus should be your next tour-date. Take this, distance and time into consideration and work your sleeping pattern around that. It takes a
little bit of adjusting-to but not as much adjusting-to as a constant hangover, lethargy, amnesia and insomnia.


Unless you're on Bob Dylans' "Never Ending Tour" it isn't going to last forever. It's a small sacrifice in time for a lifetimes' worth of experience and stories that you can actually remember and live to tell the tale.


Discount Voucher Code For "Redemption": lusty

Ask And You Shall Receive

Since releasing "Redemption" on Bandcamp I am still receiving a most humbling amount of responses from fans. The responses allude to the ease of the download process, the ability to choose what sound-file they prefer to download and most predominantly the discount voucher which, for "Redemption" is 35% if the discount coupon code is applied. This equates to a 10-track album track being reduced from $7.69 (Aus) to $5 (Aus). If there's anything that I can do to save money for those kind enough to support my music career then I'll do it if it's financially viable.
The other responses that have taken me by surprise is the request from fans for an album comprising of more up-beat rock tracks.


I am more than pleased to inform you here that this will indeed come to fruition. The as-yet un-named album will contain 12 tracks, all taken from previous releases and hopefully to your liking. 


Due to upcoming school holidays here in Tasmania I shall be indisposed until mid-June. Having said this, there will be quite a 'work-up' press/promotion wise. A few of these 
will be somewhat unorthodox. 


Additionally there are a few surprises planned for you on the albums release.


The codeword for the 35% discount for the below album is: lusty

Sometimes Music Does Come Easy

Having spent quite a lot of time responding to as many emails as I have time fore and even submitting a brief explanatory blog (below this entry) about downloading via the Nimbit widget in October 2009, it has most definitely paid dividends.

Since that time, however, I have scoured the net for any easier ways for people to download music from their favourite independent musicians. I am in now way taking a shot at music lovers; quite the opposite because I'm the same myself. Unless a download involves a click or two then I'm very likely to either look elsewhere or, more likely, "get around to it later,"....and rarely remembering to.

To say the internet provides instant access to ones favourite music is, to my mind, a wee bit deceptive. Simply finding the music of ones favourite can be a chore. Case in point: I still find it confusing to locate mt music on my soon-to-be defunct iTunes catalogue. Added to this is the fact I can only promote it with a miniscule button which simply says iTunes.

Amazon have an array of small widgets of varying sizes which at least give my name, an image of the relevant album cover.

Outside of this, I have no say in what price they are sold for and song-clips are random and only provide listeners with a 30-second preview which are typically not indicative of the track.

After my original 'honeymoon period' with Nimbit I began noticing improvements that I think would surely improve their reach and popularity. Their player widget is very slick and downloads are very smooth but as mentioned in my previous entry the 30-second song previews were not a winner with fans.

The other possible improvement that I forwarded to Nimbit (as part of a questionnaire they sent me) was to introduce more customisable widget players. I am yet to receive a response.

After the above 'doom and gloom' information I have good news! Thanks to New-Zealand based musician, Tommie Brewster, I was turned onto Bandcamp. Tommie sent me the information in February 2010 but due to other commitments I have only recently trialled it....and what a trial it has been!

My most recent album, "Redemption," was released via Bandcamp as well as Nimbit, purely to compare the two. Album sales from "Bandcamp" are faring much better. Additionally, I have no real-time statistics from Nimbit.

Bandcamp gives the artist a choice of four player widgets which can be customised re. colour and fit pretty-well anywhere on the net. Additionally, the artist keeps 100% of royalties which is why I don't mind selling my material for %5.00 per album. I think it's a fair price. Don't be fooled by the initial price that you see.....More of that shortly.

Have a look at the player below (it doesn't hurt). You can then play "Redemption" in its' entirety....as many times as you like. If....and only IF you wish to download the album, click the 'Download Album' button. You'll then, on the same page, be presented with a wee 'thing' telling you the album price ($7.69). There is also an empty slot saying, "discount code?" If you have read this far, the discount code is: raunchy  You will then see the discount price of $5.00 that I mentioned before. Even at this stage, there's no obligation to purchase.

Call me a rotten salesman. I totally agree.....but....if I can make my work as easy to access and as cheap as possible for all of those people kind  enough to support my music over the last three years (and more), then I'll give it my best shot....and will continue to do so.