Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Free Music Archive

I have found so much great (and free and legal) stuff from WFMU over the last couple of years--stereo demo records, music that has slipped into the public domain, recordings of strange bands, Frank Ackerman's UFO music, the soundtracks from instructional recordings, esoterica, ephemera...novelty records, and mainly just the offbeat and interesting. While the focus is music, my favorite finds and downloads include "78 RPM Records, jazz, psychedelia, hip-hop, electronica, hand-cranked wax cylinders, punk rock, gospel, exotica, R&B, radio improvisation, cooking instructions, classic radio airchecks, found sound, dopey call-in shows, interviews with obscure radio personalities and notable science-world luminaries, spoken word collages..."

Now, WFMU has joined with Seattle's (and NYC's) KEXP, Portland's KBOO, and other music companies, web sites, and blogs, to form the Free Music Archive, "a social music website built around a curated library of free, legal audio. It's a work in progress, and your participation will help us continue to grow."

Sign up, and check out these samplers Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, , and then explore the rest.
---o0o---

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