It has been almost 2 months since I rambled on about some of the great things that are available for for download for free free free as in not pirated but really free for download. In this case the free stuff was 3GB+ of music from the SXSW. Even in 2 months, I have probably digested, at most, 10% of all that free music. Despite of the glut of undiscovered music at my disposal, I am here to point to another great resource for downloading even more free music without any interference from the RIAA or a guilty conscience.
The great thing about it is the low barrier of entry to getting this free free free not pirated free stuff. Having a computer that will make such things relatively painless is relatively painless to set up.* Though lots and lots of options are available, one completely legal, ethical, and cost free (as much as anything can be cost free) method would include some combination of:
- gnu/Linux operating systems to run on your computer
- software to play music and video
- software to download the great free content**
Having those things, one can browse over to the fabulous etree.org and check out their Community Tracker . The tracker list where to get the little key file called a torrent that contains all the information needed to find and download free music. In this case, in bt.etree.org’s own words:
This site is provided by the etree.org community for sharing the live concert recordings of trade friendly artists. Please tell your friends and family about new bands that catch your ear, and support these artists by going to see them live and buying their CDs!
The cynical person might think that it would be slim pickings at a sight where the artist is “trade friendly”. Some desperate folks who are dying for any type of exposure they can get, right? Just a handful of the artists who caught my eye:
- Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
- Big Head Todd & The Monsters
- Carbon Leaf
- Cowboy Junkies
- Dave Matthews
- David Gray
- Jack Johnson
- John Butler Trio
- John Mayer
- Keller Williams
- Mason Jennings
- Modest Mouse
- My Morning Jacket
- BONUS (for TJM): Matisyahu
Quite impressive, yeah? I haven’t not yet begun to post!
Miscellany:
*This is another conversation altogether. In the style of Lemony Snicket, I need to qualify my choice of terms. Relatively painless here means “if you have plenty of patience and/or have someone who is knowledgable to help you out.” The effort and skillset is about the same as a first-timer getting any Microsoft operating system up and running at the time that OS first came out. Or learning to tie your shoes. Or maybe learning to ride a bike. At any rate, I am trying to say the thing won’t drop into your lap gift-wrapped, but it is much easier than most difficult things.
**Hmm, what’s that? Are you, gentle reader, wondering if the same software might also be used to download great free STOLEN content? Very astute, almost. Software is a tool. Software is, at least for the present, only a tool. A minority of tools are designed specifically to aid an evildoer in his reprehensible activities. The majority of tools are designed to help their user with honest upright activities, and this applies equally well to tools that can be bought at software stores and hardware stores.
Nice work again. Between being at work, toiling in my yard, and painting my house, I will find a way to find some time to follow your instructions and get my hands on some of this music.