Music and the Internet

As many of you know, I am a big media junkie, and subscribe to a million or so internet web sites that serve up music. Here are some things that I enjoy messing with, and I think you will find them of interest as well.

1. Rhapsody (http://www.rhapsody.com/) is a streaming audio server that has well over a million music tracks and adds more every day. At present, you can subscribe to the stream for about $10 per month, and play unlimited music from your computer. For an extra fiver, you can get a "to go" subscription which allows you to drag and drop tracks to compatible MP3 players and use them as long as your subscription is current. They also offer tracks in both WAVE (which you burn to a compact disc) and MP3 formats for purchase. It's a good alternative to ITUNES. I have been a fan for some time now.

2. Speaking of ITUNES, rumors are out that Apple will develop a subscription service similar to Rhapsody's model. We shall see what happens.

3. This just in: MonteVerdi TV (www.monteverdi.tv) A free service that is from my initial examination, a pretty cool thing. They combine a number of classical music services to form a virtual community of sorts. There are live streaming video broadcasts, links to more than 100 classical music stations, links to hundreds of articles on classical music, streaming video clips and a shop to purchase dvds, cds, and digital downloads. I just discovered it, but it looks cool. I plan to install it this evening and give it a go. There are no subscription fees.

4. Pandora. (http://www.pandora.com/). This is an internet radio service where you can create "stations" to fit your tastes. It is powered by the Music Genome Project. In short, you log on, type in an artist or composer and it creates a playlist for you of similar music. It is not "on demand" but you can guide the system as to your personal tastes.

5. Slacker.(http://www.slacker.com/) Similar to Pandora with slightly sexier graphics. You can also get a portable device that although pricey, is a pretty cool toy.

6. Live 365. Yours truly has his own broadcast on this fantastic service which connects you to thousands of internet radio broadcasts. You can check out my station at www.live365.com/stations/maestro214 or you can search in the engine there for Radio Helios.

7. Acid Planet. (http://www.acidplanet.com/) A product of the Sony corporation, you can find lots of cool music there for free, many tracks are downloadable. This is a perfect site for those of you into electronic, trance and sundry forms of club dance music.

8. Music Submit. (http://www.musicsubmit.com/) is a splendid site for musicians to get their tracks distributed all over the place. If you are a broadcaster you can download music for your station. If you are a musician, you can submit music to be sent to broadcasters all over the planet.

That ought to give you some fun things to explore. Hope you enjoy them.