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How to get online music for free
by Amber McGown-Rules
Music is pretty rad. It gets you through break ups, your teen years, spring cleaning, even bus trips when you're sitting next to the crazy neighbourhood drunk. Amber McGown-Rules shows you AZACKLY how to get music for free, whether through elegantly haunting music websites, lurking in record stores... or downright theft. We want music!
Music is pretty rad. It gets you through break ups, your teen years, spring cleaning, even bus trips when you're sitting next to the crazy neighbourhood drunk who talks to his imaginary friend and says "Sassafras, sassafras" incessantly. It makes parties, pubs and road trips more fun. You couldn't do karaoke without it. I think it's fair to say music is at least 10 thousand awesomes.
Unfortunately, music can be pretty pricey. Ladies, I am not going to sugar coat this. I'm going to school you on how to avoid paying top dollar for the tunes that you need to survive. Now, I know there's going to be millions of Mookychick readers (you heard right, there's millions of you) who say "Why Amber, isn't that illegal?" and "Why Amber, surely by buying music we are bolstering a slowly dying industry with both financial and moral support?" and "Why Amber, isn't that robbing hard working artists when they have sacrificed, lived on 2 minute noodles, spent precious time away from their families and poured their blood, sweat and tears into manifesting their art? I mean, what kind of a person helps the masses to commit crime and steal food from the mouths of small children/skinny muso's? WHAT KIND OF A MONSTER ARE YOU?" to which I reply "Uhh, dudettes… chillax."
I work with quite a few musician types (helpful hint: look for hungry, unwashed and shifty eyes) and I promise you, there is nothing like basking in the warm glow of knowing that people enjoy your music enough to commit crime in order to get it. Sure, this may not pay their rent, but let's face it, that's what petty theft and prostitution is for. So here's a few tips on where to get aural pleasure without paying a penny for it!
My Space
My Space (www.myspace.com) is an intarwubs phenomenon that started out with some annoying dude called Tom who thinks he's everyone's friend (Tom, you are OUT of my Top 8, just so you know) and then the emo's jumped on the bandwagon and suddenly, BOOM! Every kid with a fringe plastered to his forehead and a lip ring has his crappy band's demo blaring at you when you accidentally click on their page. The upside of this whole racket is that when you find a band you like, you can stream their music and listen to it all day long! And what's more, you can look at their friends (hopefully also good musicians) and then listen to their music, too. It's like a big, delicious, musicy snowball!
The other good news is that lots of established bands are starting to realise that My Space is kind of a big deal, so your old favourites will hopefully be putting up some free music for you to listen to as well. Better still, the artists can see exactly how many times people have listened to their songs, thus contributing to that warm glow of appreciation they thrive on. Can you feel that warm glow? Can you? You did that, dear music pirate, you did that. Group hug.
Artist websites
Often musicians who aren't big corporate whores (Lars Ulrich, I'm looking at you) are more than happy to give their music away for free because, get this: they actually want you to hear it. Crazy I know – but some musician's value getting their story or message to you over making squillions of dollars. It also serves as a great marketing tool – you hear a song on their website, you might just go buy their record. Who'da thought, hey?
Legal downloading websites
Since the whole Kazaa debacle (Malibu Lars, I'm still looking at you) there's been a whole generation of furtive downloaders, scared stupid to open an MPEG for fear of the FBI bustin' down their pre-pubescent door, confiscating their hard drive and beating them unconscious with their own joystick. The thing is, there are plenty of legal downloading sites that often run promotions where you can get an artists new single or B-side for free. Try signing up to your favourite artist's newsletter for the latest freebies on offer.
Hanging out at record stores
Mookybabes, you know I would never advocate using your boobs to get something you want, but I have a concept for you. It's quite simple, in fact. Go to record store. Look around for free stuff (hey, you might just get lucky and not have to deploy any more tactics.) Failing finding free stuff, go to counter. Flirt outrageously with the dreamy indie record store guy (those blue eyes…that strawberry blonde mop of hair…that chequered shirt…that hot tattoo….dribble.) Open handbag and let glorious piles of free music make its way in. If he makes you work a little harder (which clearly makes him even dreamier), drop hints about the hippest music and films you can. Warning: this can be hit and miss if you don't scope him carefully first. Make sure you get the obscure band references right and make sure he doesn't like the fella's more than the ladies. Your womanly charms are NO MATCH against another impossibly gorgeous indie boy. Think about it.
Take those mix CD's at the end of a show
I was in the habit of scoffing at the street teams who hand out free CD's at the end of a gig, but in a drunken stupor at the end of Les Savy Fav last year I took a CD, with every intention of using it as a coaster. By some twist of fate, it made it into my CD player and me-oh-my, I have never said no to one of those babies since! Sure, some of them are kinda crappy, but you'll find most are sweet remixes or DJ sets by the bands. The other bonus is that indie labels sometimes give out CD's of label mates, or even better, a sampler of all of the labels artists. Paydirt!!
Enter those street press competitions
Nothing says desperate like a serial competition enterer, right? Wrong. If everyone has that attitude, no one enters, and that leaves you to clean up week after week in your local rags musical treat sweepstakes! Woop!
Subterfuge
My personal favourite and it's the simplest yet. Go to smug hipster friend's house. Fill garbage bag with their Sub Pop and Barsuk limited release pressings without them noticing. Leave again. Feel satisfaction wash over you at the thought of getting away with such a blatant crime, as well as imagining the look on their smarmy face when they discover their Broken Social Scene vinyl keeping your window propped open next time they visit you.
So go forth music buccaneers and sail the high seas of musical piracy!
About the author
Max Macbride is lost in music. He's caught in a trap. There's no turning back! A recent foreign-language business graduate, he aims to make the world a better place through a combination of financial astuteness and nu-skool flamenco. He would also like to be dressed as a small bear.
