Uncle Roger's Notebooks of Daily Life

It's Not a Fish and It Won't Stick to Your Fridge

Many thanks are due to Jason Clark for pointing me to Magnatune, a new record label that appears to be a good candidate to fill the shoes of MP3.com.

As they describe it, Magnatune is "the shareware model applied to music." You can listen online and if you find something you like (I already have), "download an album for as little as $5 (you pick the price), or buy a real CD." If you're an artist, or if you like supporting the artists you like, keep in mind that Magnatune artists "half of every purchase. And unlike most record labels, our artists keep all the rights to their music." As their slogan says, "We are not evil."

Jason suggested Ehren Starks and I am definitely enjoying his music. Further, another artist on Magnatune is John Williams, someone whose music I fell in love with over at MP3.com. I strongly suggest checking both of these out. I'm sure there will be others as well. I am totally excited about this!

I don't see any other artists I recognize (except, of course, for English Concert with Trevor Pinnock) which is both good and bad. The good side is that it means there are lots of new artists for me to explore. The bad side is that some of my favorites (such as Juba, Stew Moss, and Bo Grumpus). Still, hopefully these and others will resurface in the future.

While I'm on the subject, I'll toss in a plug for Old King Cole Productions, a small label run by my cousin-in-law (or something like that). OKCD has an eclectic collection of music that is definitely worth browsing.