Friday, November 4, 2011

30 Days of Thanks - Day 4 - NoiseTrade

I enjoy music. LOTS of music of many diverse genres. I especially enjoy music that defies a singular genre specification (such as much of David Crowder*Band's discography).

I am also cheap. I do not like to spend a lot of money on music (or anything other than books for that matter) especially when I am attempting to discover something new that I like.

This is where that beautiful website NoiseTrade enters into my life.

NoiseTrade is a lovely little slice of the Net that offers music for 'free' - legally. Various artists post their work there for 'free' download either in an attempt to drum up a new fan base, reward current fans, or just stick it to 'the man' and 'his' ways of holding artists down. I say 'free' because you do actually have to give them some information. Specifically you give them your e-mail (where they will send the download link) and your zip code. This has another benefit of getting you signed up for the band's mailing list and letting you know when they will be near you for a concert. I know that idea does not thrill most people but you can also easily opt out of the list when they send something to you.

The neat thing about this is that you can preview all of the tracks first so that you know you want them, you can share your find through various social media to help promote artists you like, and - if you really appreciate the music - you can leave the artist a tip from $1-100. So you get great music, a way to connect to the artists you like, and a way to share your passions while only offering up information that is readily available online anyway.

I am thankful for NoiseTrade because it helps to fulfill the nifty things mentioned above and it has helped me to find great artists like The Vespers and Josh Garrels.

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