10 Ways to Discover New Music by Hugh Gallagher
2
plugs
plug itI listen to music all the time; at home, at work, in the car, sometimes even to help me sleep. But without the ability to find new music, I would soon get bored of the same old play lists. I've tried different methods over the years to expand my musical tastes, so hopefully some of these can be useful to somebody else.
1) BBC iPlayer Radio
Now I'm not a great fan of everything played on mainstream radio stations, including the BBC ones, but I do really enjoy using the BBC iPlayer radio. Annoyingly the BBC seems to have the habit of putting all it's niche shows on a stupids hours of the day, when nobody is listening, but with the iPlayer you can simple pick any of these shows from the last 7 days, and re-listen to it on your PC.
2) Music store latest releases
I find my local music stores pretty uninspiring at times, but it doesn't stop me walking in to check out the new releases, and staff recommendations stand. They may only have a handful of CDs in them at a time, but every few weeks I will walk in, scoop up a copy of each CD, and stroll over to a listening post to review my selection.
3) Last.fm
There are many social music sites about, but I seem to have made the most use of Last.fm. A simple plug-in to iTunes allows it to monitor all the music I listen to on my PC and iPod, and uploads the data to the Last.fm website. It's very interesting to be able to see some statistics on your listening habits, but it's most useful feature is the ability to view the listening habits of people that are deemed statistically similar to you. You can browse through your musical neighbors, looking out for bands that they listen to but you are not familiar with, and then even listen to sample tracks of them using the built in music player.
4) Pandora.com
Pandora is an automated music recommendation service, which allows you to input a band or track you enjoy, and it will build you a radio station of similar music for you to listen to. I used Pandora for about a year until sadly the service was restricted to only be available in the USA, although many similar services have popped up since, such as One Llama.
5) Go to gigs
Going to see a band you love live is fantastic, but often it's easy to underestimate the support bands. Support bands tend to be up and coming, or local bands you wouldn't normally run into, so are a great source of new sounds.
6) Pick up a music magazine
I confess I don't often buy music magazines, as I find the articles a waste of time. It might sound cheap, but often in shops I will pick up a copy of Kerrang, or the NME, and flip through to the new releases section, have a quick read and then return it to the shelf. I make a mental note of the bands, and then look them up later on the Internet, when I get home.
7) iTunes
I often use the iTunes store to search for and listen to samples of bands I'm investigating, such as ones I found on Last.fm. You may only have the ability to listen to short samples, but the iTunes catalog is vast, which means you've got a good chance of finding what your looking for. Once in a blue moon I even purchase using the store, as I'm to damn impatient, and can't wait for a CD to be delivered.
8) Magnatune
I discovered Magnatune at work, where I use an Ubuntu based Linux box for my daily tasks. The latest version of Rhythmbox that comes with the operating system, has been integrated with the Magnatune service. Magnatune allows you to listen to all the music you want for free, and even purchase songs using a “Pay what you deem fair†system. The music isn't very mainstream, but selecting a bunch of tracks and playing them on random keeps me entertained.
9) Put you MP3 Player on random
I have a large MP3 collection, which played end to end would span many weeks. It's very easy to find you have music you hardly ever, or never listen to. Putting your player on random, can often help your rediscover some hidden gems.
10) Ask your friends
Don't under estimate your friends or co-workers, even if they do seem to have lame taste in music. It's good to take interest in what other people are listening to, as it helps you diversify your listening habits, and explore something you wouldn't usually listen to.
About the Author
Hugh Gallagher is a Perl Web developer from the UK, and creator of StupidFAQer - FAQs and Guides
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Mp3 Player Purchase Tips
Roberto Sedycias
Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for http://www.polomercantil.com.br
http://www.e-topic.com/authors/91/Roberto-Sedycias
The idea of a having a portable audio player dates back many years ago, when the option then was a fairly big cassette-tape-playing two-speaker audio system. Eventually these devices got smaller and back in the late seventies a hand size cassette-tape audio player was made available. Now as electronics evolved and with the mp3 audio format, one can satisfy his needs for a portable audio device thru the use of mp3 players.
Mp3 players became very popular and it is very common to see people using it while doing many activities such as jogging, commuting to work, traveling, buying groceries, computer related tasks and others.
For those who intend to purchase an mp3 player, one might consider the following tips:
1 - The internal memory size of an mp3 player will determine the amount of mp3 songs the device will be able to hold. Some models may even have an internal hard drive to store songs, however the size and price may go up a little bit and it is not recommend to be used by someone doing intensive physical activities. Also some models may the have the option of flash memory.
2 - The battery life is a very important feature, because it will determine how many hours the mp3 player will function properly. Make sure the mp3 player comes with an AC/DV adapter for quick battery charge.
3 - There a lots of sizes of mp3 players. Features such as a larger screen, video capability, hard drive and others, all add up to a bigger size. And price too!
4 - The way an mp3 player connects to a computer is a also very important feature. Latest model may support high speed USB 2.0 transfer. Some others may even have Firewire support.
5 - Some mp3 players even may accept other audio format besides mp3, such as WMA format. Check the player’s specification if this feature is going to be used.
6 - Also mp3 players may have other features besides of mp3 playing. Features such as FM tuner and audio recording capability, may be of some interest to some users.
7 - As for the price just make sure the mp3 player you are buying has just the features you are looking for. Why pay more for features you are not going to be using anyway? Mp3 players can be purchased for prices from fifty up to several hundred dollars. Brand name players will cost even more.
Portable mp3 players have become a must have product of desire among the younger population. After all almost everyone has one of them. So if you don’ have one yet, it’s about time to keep yourself updated with modern time.
Roberto Sedycias
IT Consultant
This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author´s name and all the URL´s (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for http://www.polomercantil.com.br
http://www.e-topic.com/authors/91/Roberto-Sedycias
The idea of a having a portable audio player dates back many years ago, when the option then was a fairly big cassette-tape-playing two-speaker audio system. Eventually these devices got smaller and back in the late seventies a hand size cassette-tape audio player was made available. Now as electronics evolved and with the mp3 audio format, one can satisfy his needs for a portable audio device thru the use of mp3 players.
Mp3 players became very popular and it is very common to see people using it while doing many activities such as jogging, commuting to work, traveling, buying groceries, computer related tasks and others.
For those who intend to purchase an mp3 player, one might consider the following tips:
1 - The internal memory size of an mp3 player will determine the amount of mp3 songs the device will be able to hold. Some models may even have an internal hard drive to store songs, however the size and price may go up a little bit and it is not recommend to be used by someone doing intensive physical activities. Also some models may the have the option of flash memory.
2 - The battery life is a very important feature, because it will determine how many hours the mp3 player will function properly. Make sure the mp3 player comes with an AC/DV adapter for quick battery charge.
3 - There a lots of sizes of mp3 players. Features such as a larger screen, video capability, hard drive and others, all add up to a bigger size. And price too!
4 - The way an mp3 player connects to a computer is a also very important feature. Latest model may support high speed USB 2.0 transfer. Some others may even have Firewire support.
5 - Some mp3 players even may accept other audio format besides mp3, such as WMA format. Check the player’s specification if this feature is going to be used.
6 - Also mp3 players may have other features besides of mp3 playing. Features such as FM tuner and audio recording capability, may be of some interest to some users.
7 - As for the price just make sure the mp3 player you are buying has just the features you are looking for. Why pay more for features you are not going to be using anyway? Mp3 players can be purchased for prices from fifty up to several hundred dollars. Brand name players will cost even more.
Portable mp3 players have become a must have product of desire among the younger population. After all almost everyone has one of them. So if you don’ have one yet, it’s about time to keep yourself updated with modern time.
Roberto Sedycias
IT Consultant
This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author´s name and all the URL´s (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
MP3/Music Downloading Guide
MP3/Music Downloading Guide
13th November 2005
Author: Charles Oakland
Downloading music off the internet can be a tedious and usually boring task. This article will show how to find online music faster and more precisely then ever before. There are a few different ways of obtaining music over the net, however each one has its own set of pro's and con's. 1) The first way is to download music off a basic web server or website. Not only is this highly illegal, but it puts your computer at risk to any number of ActiveX exploits, porn pop-ups, and forced installs. This of course is necessary to insure that the webmaster of the illegal site gains a profit, off the expense of his surfers. 2) The second highly popular way to download music is through a peer-to-peer network such as Kazaa, IMesh, Limewire etc. Nothing is ever free! Theses programs are all ad-supported and include spy ware and frequent pop-ups that essentially infect your computer. They hijack your start page, search page etc, and are designed to be extremely difficult to remove. 3) Recently pay-per download sites have emerged such as Napster and the famous Apple Itunes. These sites unfortunately charge upwards of $1 a song which quickly adds up to a large price for an album. There are alternatives to the high profile sites listed above that offer music at a much reduced price. A web review site recently launched has ranked these programs on a scale of 1 to 5 and has review article for each site. A free music and mp3 review site providing unbiased comparison information of the Top-Rated Music/MP3 download sites. Free MP3 Reviews
This article is free for republishingSource: http://www.articlealley.com/article_15498_48.html
13th November 2005
Author: Charles Oakland
Downloading music off the internet can be a tedious and usually boring task. This article will show how to find online music faster and more precisely then ever before. There are a few different ways of obtaining music over the net, however each one has its own set of pro's and con's. 1) The first way is to download music off a basic web server or website. Not only is this highly illegal, but it puts your computer at risk to any number of ActiveX exploits, porn pop-ups, and forced installs. This of course is necessary to insure that the webmaster of the illegal site gains a profit, off the expense of his surfers. 2) The second highly popular way to download music is through a peer-to-peer network such as Kazaa, IMesh, Limewire etc. Nothing is ever free! Theses programs are all ad-supported and include spy ware and frequent pop-ups that essentially infect your computer. They hijack your start page, search page etc, and are designed to be extremely difficult to remove. 3) Recently pay-per download sites have emerged such as Napster and the famous Apple Itunes. These sites unfortunately charge upwards of $1 a song which quickly adds up to a large price for an album. There are alternatives to the high profile sites listed above that offer music at a much reduced price. A web review site recently launched has ranked these programs on a scale of 1 to 5 and has review article for each site. A free music and mp3 review site providing unbiased comparison information of the Top-Rated Music/MP3 download sites. Free MP3 Reviews
This article is free for republishingSource: http://www.articlealley.com/article_15498_48.html
Friday, May 2, 2008
Mp3 Players - Music on the Move by Alden Jerry
Mp3 Players - Music on the Move by Alden Jerry
0
plugs
plug it
Music is an integral part of our daily routines. In fact almost 90% of the people hear at least any one music track a day to rejuvenate their moods. Enjoying music is not at all a latest trend. This has been the habit of our fore fathers too. However, things have slightly changed these days. Earlier people used to have bulky music systems to enjoy their favorite music tracks. But now with the passage of time and with the advancement of technology these music devices also underwent various upgradation process.
To meet the ever rising demands of the people, various top rated companies have ventured into this arena. The MP3 players of various brands have different specifications. The music lovers should clearly prioritise their requirements before plunging into any purchasing process. Various types of music players are available these days such as Hard Drive Players, Minidisk MP3 players, Hybrid Players, Flash Memory Players and MP3 CD Players. The Flash Memory systems are the smallest and the light weight of all the aforementioned music systems. It has a memory card to store all the media contents. This music gadget can operate by consuming very less power. The users can carry this personal gadget wherever and whenever they want.
The Hard Drive Player is more efficient than the Flash Memory Players. This gadget has enormous storage capacity as it is enhanced with a mini hard disk. The music lovers can store loads of their favorite music tracks in this music device. Moreover, the hard drive players are enhanced with various innovative features and more power to operate without any hassle. MP3 CD players are preferred most by the people because they have the capability to support MP3 and various other digital sound formats. Basically these players are much more cheaper then the aforementioned ones. These gadgets are slightly bulky in size and are enriched with various high tech features. Moreover, various cheap mp3 players are also available these days which may have low specification but are enhanced to meet the basic requirement of the music enthusiasts.
MP3 players have greatly revolutionised the facet of the music world. These advanced widgets are crafted not only to support the MP3 files but also various other additional audio files. The first MP3 system was designed in 1998 which was enriched with a storage capacity of 32 MB. However, with the passage of time these gizmos have undergone various innovations to offer maximum entertainment to the music lovers.
About the Author
0
plugs
plug it
Music is an integral part of our daily routines. In fact almost 90% of the people hear at least any one music track a day to rejuvenate their moods. Enjoying music is not at all a latest trend. This has been the habit of our fore fathers too. However, things have slightly changed these days. Earlier people used to have bulky music systems to enjoy their favorite music tracks. But now with the passage of time and with the advancement of technology these music devices also underwent various upgradation process.
To meet the ever rising demands of the people, various top rated companies have ventured into this arena. The MP3 players of various brands have different specifications. The music lovers should clearly prioritise their requirements before plunging into any purchasing process. Various types of music players are available these days such as Hard Drive Players, Minidisk MP3 players, Hybrid Players, Flash Memory Players and MP3 CD Players. The Flash Memory systems are the smallest and the light weight of all the aforementioned music systems. It has a memory card to store all the media contents. This music gadget can operate by consuming very less power. The users can carry this personal gadget wherever and whenever they want.
The Hard Drive Player is more efficient than the Flash Memory Players. This gadget has enormous storage capacity as it is enhanced with a mini hard disk. The music lovers can store loads of their favorite music tracks in this music device. Moreover, the hard drive players are enhanced with various innovative features and more power to operate without any hassle. MP3 CD players are preferred most by the people because they have the capability to support MP3 and various other digital sound formats. Basically these players are much more cheaper then the aforementioned ones. These gadgets are slightly bulky in size and are enriched with various high tech features. Moreover, various cheap mp3 players are also available these days which may have low specification but are enhanced to meet the basic requirement of the music enthusiasts.
MP3 players have greatly revolutionised the facet of the music world. These advanced widgets are crafted not only to support the MP3 files but also various other additional audio files. The first MP3 system was designed in 1998 which was enriched with a storage capacity of 32 MB. However, with the passage of time these gizmos have undergone various innovations to offer maximum entertainment to the music lovers.
About the Author
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Unlimited MP3 and Movie Downloads
Unlimited MP3 and Movie Downloads - No download or per song fees.Over 12 billion songs from the largest download network. All your favoritesongs and artists - find any song fast. Get Instant Access >>"
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