MUSIC
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818Music
www.818music.com |
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| 818
Music is dedicated to giving new artists a break by letting the
listening
public download their music as MP3 files. As you might expect, 818
Music
keeps growing and there are now there are even more MP3s to download
and
listen to! Visitors are invited to listen to tracks selected by
818music
before buying a hard copy direct from the 818music online store. The
site's
artist development program is growing larger with each day and provides
a relatively simple path to recognition that many musical artists are
seeking. |
The
Dance Music Resource Pages
www.juno.co.uk |
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| On first
impressions the dance music resource pages don't look up to much,
because
there is little colour, no images and no logo. In fact this site is
exactly
what it says it is, a resource, pure and simple. All the latest dance
music
releases can be viewed by genre and by the release date over the last
week,
two weeks etc. In addition to viewing a list of the latest releases, 40
second 'taster' MP3's are available for each tune, which can then be
bought
direct from the website's online store. |
Monster
Guitars
www.monsterguitars.com |
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| Offering
purely MP3's of guitar players Monster Guitars is aptly named. There's
no upload feature, this site is based quite simply on people
downloading
MP3's, which are sorted by the artist that created them. Design, it has
to be said, isn't the greatest in the world, with all of the content
being
squeezed onto a single page. However, as all of the available MP3's are
recorded by professional guitarists, the quality is very good, and
makes
up for the appearance of the page. With a little work, and with the
design
tidied up this site good be even better than it already is. |
AMP3.com
www.amp3.com |
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| AMP3.com
offers over 1 million downloads, so whatever genre of music you're
into,
there's bound to be tracks here to suit your taste. The site is mainly
text based, so the pages load quickly. Every day there's a featured
artist
as well as a 'pick hit' to have a listen to. AMP3 is designed with
artists
in mind as well as music lovers, and to that end has a Pay for Play
program
where artists get compensated for all their hard work. You'll also the
usual software, hardware and music reviews to help you choose the best
of what's available. |
Sonicnet
- The online music network
www.sonicnet.com |
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| Sonicnet
provides a complete information service for all the latest music news,
as well as MP3 and music video downloads by a wide selection of
well-known
artists. The search facility allows you to quickly find what you're
looking
for and read a biography, among other details, while listing to samples
of the bands latest releases. The website itself is very stylised with
great looking graphics and images on the home page, which don't seem to
slow down the site when clicking through the numerous different
sections. |
MP3.com
www.mp3.com |
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| MP3.com
is one of the more popular MP3 site around, mostly due to it's highly
obvious
Web address, but also because it has an absolutely vast database of
music
that would keep even the fussiest of listeners busy for hours. Not only
does MP3.com allow you to listen to and download songs, but you can
also
link direct to their online store and buy the CD for those times when
you
really must have it. Perhaps the most dynamic aspect of MP3.com is
that,
as an artist, you are able to promote your music, your live
performances
and sell your CDs for free! |
Audiofind
www.audiofind.com |
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| In
simple terms, Audiofind is a massive online database of music and
artist
information with sample songs, which can be played online or downloaded
in MP3 format. An artist or song can be found by searching by artist
name
and by browsing by initial or date. The results are displayed in list
format
with an icon links to an additional information page and the MP3 sample
song. Although the homepage looks pretty flash, the website itself is
kept
simple to minimise the download time for each page and the search
results.
Nevertheless the site still looks stylish and is easy to navigate. |
Peoplesound.com
www.peoplesound.com |
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| Peoplesound
enables amateur artists to submit their music in various formats to be
downloaded and heard by anyone and everyone who's interested. New
artists
can be found by browsing your favourite kind of music or by conducting
a search of the massive Peoplesound database. Entire songs can be
downloaded
for free in MP3 format or played online, if you like what you hear you
can buy the CD direct from peoplesound.com. |
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Ministry
of Sound
www.ministryofsound.co.uk |
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Having
grown from a humble nightclub into a global empire, Ministry of Sound
has
branched out onto the web in a big way. This busy site features the
latest
dance music news and features but that's just the tip of the
iceberg.
A streaming radio
station pumps
out banging tunes 24 hours a day, while Ministry TV utilises Realplayer
technology to deliver video interviews with some of the biggest DJs in
the world. |
Opera
Base
www.operabase.com |
|
The
popularity of Classic FM and the omnipresence of opera music on adverts
and television programmes proves that opera is no longer thought of as
only for people with diamond tiaras and weekend retreats in the
country.
This sprawling
site will delight
anyone with even the slightest interest in the art form, with reviews
of
the latest productions and a useful guide to more than 500 opera houses
worldwide, complete with maps and booking details. |
CDDB
www.cddb.com |
|
This
is the world's largest database of CD titles and tracks and no matter
how
hard you try to stump it, from the most obscure artist to the most
famous,
it's likely to have a listing.
Best of all,
though, is the
way that it will automatically identify audio CDs played in your CD-ROM
drive. Just download a compatible player from the site and every time
you
listen to a CD, the artist, track titles and times will appear as if by
magic. |
Ultimate
Band List
www.ubl.com |
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| This
site started out as a simple yet effective way of listing every single
music and fan site on the web but has mutated into so much more. Not
only
will it helpfully direct you to a plethora of sites devoted to your
favourite
artist but also includes its own informative content and an online
shop.
Yet it still serves its primary function very well, helpfully grouping
sites into those which have multimedia content, those which are run by
fans and so on. |
Warp
Records
www.warprecords.co.uk |
|
A leftfield
dance label from Sheffield, Warp has used the web as something more
than
a mere promotional tool by imbuing the whole site with a real sense of
identity.
Stylish design
and good use
of animation draw you in, while generous archives of video clips and
sound
files from the likes of Aphex Twin will either be music to your ears or
frighten you to death, depending on your tastes. If you like what you
hear,
you can browse for those rare singles in the online shop. |
Roots
World
www.rootsworld.com |
|
This
fascinating site is devoted to world and 'roots' music, covering
artists
from the four corners of the globe.
Alongside reviews
and interviews
with the artists concerned, you'll find loads of streaming Real Audio
clip,
so you can try before you buy. The colourful layout and regularly
updated
content make this a site you'll be keen to return to again and again.
There's
also the option to sign up for a weekly email newsletter. |
Classical
Net
www.classical.net |
|
If your
passion is classical music then there's no better place to start
surfing
than Classical Net. Providing a point of entry to thousands of reviews,
articles and informative overviews of major and lesser-known works, it
can greatly enhance your understanding and appreciation of a
composer.
There are also
links to other
classical music sites on the Internet, allowing you to learn at your
own
pace away from the sometimes stuffy and oppressive atmosphere of the
concert
hall. |
Global
Music Network
www.gmn.com |
|
The
Global Music Network can really enhance your understanding of a piece
of
music, whether through listening to it for the first time, watching a
background
video or reading more about the performers and composers.
From early
baroque through
to Dixieland jazz and right up to the present day, you're sure to find
something that takes your fancy. It's also nice to see that lots of
thought
has gone into the design of the site in order to ensure that the
impressive
multimedia elements don't obscure the excellent content. |
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Bowie
Net
www.davidbowie.com |
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The
Thin White Duke has embraced the Internet with a fervour unmatched by
any
other artist.
This portal site
gives access
to six sites relating to all things Bowie. One offers you the chance to
view his artwork online while another is a more typical site giving you
news on his latest releases, a biography and so on.
Perhaps most
interesting, however,
is Bowie Net, an ISP set up specifically for Bowie fans. Members can
read
extracts from David's own personal diary and even collaborate on songs
with him. |
Love
4 One Another
www.love4oneanother.com |
|
He might
be completely bonkers, but Prince (or the squiggle by which he prefers
to be called these days) certainly knows how to put together a web
site.
Aside from being graphically sumptuous and purely icon driven, Love 4
One
Another also has a serious point to make about the greed of the record
industry.
Together with
articles promising
a brave new world of democratic music distribution, you'll find several
exclusive and unreleased tracks available for download. |
Radiohead
www.radiohead.com |
|
This
critically lauded band are having a few teething troubles with their
fourth
album. We know this because their excellent website features a
regularly
updated online diary from guitarist Johnny Greenwood.
Giving fans a
real insight
into the workings of the band, he pulls no punches and also uploads
photographs
regularly to the site. A well used message board, the latest news and a
smart design in keeping with the band's image complete a great site. |
Steps
Official
www.stepsofficial.com |
|
If you're
fed up with pompous rock bands and monotonous dance music then turn to
every schoolgirls favourite band for a little light relief.
Colourful and
fun, this official
site is well stocked with Steptacular content. The diary will keep you
up to date with bands antics while the extensive profiles of each band
member will tell you everything from their height to, inevitably, their
favourite colour. There's even animated instructions to their dance
routines
so you can jump around in front of the mirror to your hearts content. |
Manic
Street Preachers
www.manics.co.uk |
|
Following
their Millennium Eve extravaganza, the much loved Manics have vowed not
to play live again this year. So this smoothly designed website is
probably
the closest their fanatical followers will be able to get to the Welsh
trio.
With more history
and baggage
than many other bands there was always going to be scope to produce a
good
site, but the designers here have done an excellent job in capturing
the
spirit of the band. |
Blur
www.blur.co.uk |
|
One
of the most consistently excellent British bands of the last 10 years,
Blur have produced a similarly excellent site here.
The design is
slightly obtuse
and hard to navigate but then even that mirrors the band's recent
musical
direction. Aside from up to date news of tours, releases and so on, the
main attraction is the video wall, which takes advantage of some neat
embedded
technology to showcase the band.
Then there's
music and video
clips galore, an illustrated discography and a well written potted
biography. |
The
Oasis
www.theoasis.co.uk |
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| As is
so often the case on the web, this unofficial site run by a besotted
teenage
fan knocks spots off the official version.Slavishly updated every day
with
even the merest sniff of any news about the Gallaghers, you'll also
find
a comprehensive discography and some highly entertaining Real Audio
files
of Liam in full flow. You can test your devotion in the Oasis quiz and
chat about how they're not as good as they used to be on the message
board. |
Public
Enemy
www.public-enemy.com |
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| They
may not be the incendiary musical force they once were but the members
of Public Enemy still influence just about every hip-hop act in the
world
today.Leader Chuck D is also in the vanguard of the online music
revolution
and you'll often find new tracks available here months before they're
released
in the shops. The stylised design suits the content well and you'll
also
find all the usual biographies, news and discographies. |
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MTV
www.mtv.co.uk |
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| The
MTV UK site does not follow the normal pattern of news and album
reviews.
Instead you it has some information on the shows and the presenters,
plus
some cool interactive features which let you create you own dance music
online. You will need the Macromedia Shockwave plugin for that, but it
is fun to play with. And to top it all off there are a few interviews
with
artists like Jamiroquai, Suede and Boyzone. |
Music999.com
www.music999.com |
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| Whatever
you are looking for, you'll find it here on Music999. It has the latest
news from the world of music, as well as reviews of albums and singles.
But it also has a huge amount of links to other sites. There are
hundreds
of links to band sites, so you can find all your favourite items, and
there
are links to all the important MP3 sites. You can even find links to
festival
sites and the music industry. |
S
Club 7
www.sclub.com |
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| If you
want to see this site in all its glory you will need Macromedia Flash,
and the files do take some time to download, but they are probably
worth
the wait. In addition to biogs on the members of the band, you also get
to read the lyrics to their song, and of course there is a large
section
devoted to the band's TV series, Miami 7. And as if that is not enough
you can join the club, registering online to get all the latest S Club
7 news mailed to your inbox. |
Spice
Girls
www.virginrecords.com/newspice/index.html |
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| There
are no end of unofficial sites devoted to the Spice Girls, all put
together
by ardent fans, but this is the official site. There are the usual
pictures
and biographies and a link to the SpiceWorld The Movie site, but most
fans
will come here for the downloadable video and audio clips. There are
plenty
of videos of the band being interviewed and live versions of their
songs,
and when we visited the site you could see the new Spice Girls video
for
their single Goodbye exclusively online. |
B*Witched
www.b-witched.com |
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| If you
are a B*witched fan you probably already know all about this site. It
has
the usual stuff here, including the story of the band, profiles of the
girls and news of their upcoming records. You can download wallpapers
and
screensavers and you can even nominate yourself to be featured on the
site
itself by filling in an online questionnaire explaining why you think
you
are the world's greatest B*witched fan. |
Blur
www.blur.co.uk |
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| Most
music stars' web sites are a little thin on content and the design is
pretty
unimaginative. Blur stand out from the crowd with this extremely cool
site.
The graphics are impressive, but so is the content. There are loads of
samples of tracks to listen to in RealPlayer format and the Blur
VideoWall
may take a while to download, but it is well worth the wait. It is
cobbled
together from Blur's videos, but it is so imaginative that the result
is
fascinating. |
Steps
stepsofficial.com |
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| Listen
to the music, do the dance. Not only do you get the usual photos and
band
profile on the official Steps website, you get to learn how to do the
dances.
There are eight tracks listed, including Tragedy and Last Thing On My
Mind,
and for each song there is a written description of the steps, but you
also get a little rolling slideshow of Steps themselves doing the
dance,
so you will get a much better idea of how it goes. There is also a
lively
forum session and online chat with other Steps fans. |
Top
of the Pops
www.totp.beeb.com |
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| There
is far more to the Top of the Pops site than just seeing who is going
to
be on the show next week. There is a busy news section full of showbiz
gossip, interviews with the stars, a run-down of the current chart and
news of who is touring at the moment. If you want to get more involved
you can ask a question of Pop Sherlock, enter one of the competitions
or
even post your own reviews on the site. Phew! |
|
The
Informed Investor 
