# How to fill your iPod for free. Legally. With no moral quandries.



## Guest (Jun 25, 2009)

This post was born out of a private discussion I had with keeperofthegood. It was pointed in some article someone linked to that if you wanted to fill your iPod via the iTunes store a-track-at-a-time it'd cost you more than a car at the old $0.99/song rate. Realistically you can get discounts if you buy on sales, older material, or an album-at-a-time. But it's still not cheap. Far, far more than it cost to buy the iPod that's for sure.

So where do you turn to get music for that miracle of modern technology?

Here are some of my sources for free music that's given away by the artists.

Stereogum: this is an indie music industry blog. Indie artists provide tracks for the posts that are made on them and they're free to download. I get a ton of stuff from here that I'd never hear of any other way: Bat for Lashes, Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Drity Projectors, Camera Obscura -- the list goes on and on. Some of it is amazing new music, some of it is not my cup of tea. But it's always 5 or 6 new tracks a week at least. My RSS reader of choice even downloads the tracks and puts them in a special playlist for me in iTunes automatically.

Record Labels: some indie labels and a few of the more progressive major minors give stuff away from time to time. You just have to check. Last week I scooped the Sub Pop summer sampler (which has an awesome, kitchy website). And Sub Pop's main page lets you stream and download MP3s from their artists. Check out Iron & Wine's new single Belated Promise Ring -- absolutely genius. I love that band.

Visit your favourite labels. You'll never know what you'll find on their sites.

Arists: some artists are giving stuff away these days too. NiN has been embracing this for a while now. For the price of your email address you get an email every so often with a link to a free album thats, get this, downloadable via BitTorrent technology. I got The Slip for free and Reznor's sampler from the NinJam tour was awesome. See: http://www.nin.com/

The CBC also runs a series of podcasts that provide daily and weekly music updates. It's, obviously, heavily focused on Canadian content. I find it hit and miss, but my tastes tend to run strange.

But I've saved the best source for last. It's so good I'm almost tempted not to share it. As if sharing it would some how cause it go away. This source is a veritable wellspring of amazing music.

It is.


Wait for it.


Can you handle this?


Man I'm so not sure you can handle this...it's...









National Public Radio.


Specifically: the NPR podcasts. I have two that I adore. The first is All Things Considered. Which is a mix of music podcasts and news podcasts. All of it deeply entertaining. All of it free. 

But truly the gem in the NPR line up is their All Things Considered Live Concert Series. These are _amazing_ recordings of _amazing_ artists. The artists have graciously donated these concerts to their archives. I can count no less than 20 complete shows that absolutely blow my mind every time I listen to them. The Radiohead (yes, I said Radiohead) show from the Hollywood Bowl is as good as any live concert recording gets and it's 100% free. It will blow your mind. There's at least two Neko Case shows in there. Amazing Tom Waits show and a whole bunch of others. I'm getting giddy just talking about.

So there you go. There are a few of my sources for new, free, music that I use to keep my iPod content fresh. What about you?


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## theelectic (Mar 11, 2006)

www.archive.org

A lot of the stuff is in FLAC which takes an extra conversion step, but there's enough there to keep anyone entertained for days, if not months.


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## Guest (Jun 25, 2009)

theelectic said:


> www.archive.org
> 
> A lot of the stuff is in FLAC which takes an extra conversion step, but there's enough there to keep anyone entertained for days, if not months.


Ahh yes. I've used them for many a Phish concert. If you're on Mac I really like XLD as a converter for FLAC --> Apple Lossless. Interface is primitive but its fast and takes advantage of multiple cores/CPUs.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

OOO I like Bat for Lashes!!

To make this a running thread listing (and ok, I am not up on or into compression standards as I know some others are, being hearing impared mp3 is as good as I hear normally LOL):

http://www.last.fm/music/+free-music-downloads

http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ <-- lots of Youtubers know this one.

http://www.monolake.de/downloads/ <-- Liking the one there currently 

http://www.freesound.org/index.php Ok, I know it is a sound sample site, however I have downloaded some of the long rain or city noise files and used them as meditation or sleeping tracks.

http://rikilindhome.com/music/ 
http://www.wumpscut.com/ (always has something there for download)

http://lostchildrennetlabel.wordpress.com/releases/ this is a HUGE list, I have only 3 of their albums but do enjoy them. (here is a differently organised version of that other link http://www.archive.org/details/lost_children )


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## Guest (Jun 25, 2009)

keeperofthegood said:


> http://www.freesound.org/index.php Ok, I know it is a sound sample site, however I have downloaded some of the long rain or city noise files and used them as meditation or sleeping tracks.


That's a great site for samples. I got the gong sample at the beginning of this track from there. They have an excellent sound search engine and rating system.


All great stuff guys. Keep 'em coming. I can almost feel a bought of new-music-overload coming on. :smile:


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

The last I heard, it still wasn't technically illegal to download music in Canada. In the USA yes, but not here (of course, music companies don't advertise this too much).

TG


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

traynor_garnet said:


> The last I heard, it still wasn't technically illegal to download music in Canada. In the USA yes, but not here (of course, music companies don't advertise this too much).
> 
> TG


See http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=24125 

 yes. This thread is the 'other side' of the download coin. The means by which it can happen were no one on the side of either law or ethics could say it is wrong.

There is also I think a general need to know "what is out there" that people can use in a manner that is 'above board' to even the USA and UK and EU. Either limited licence of use like from monolake or the rather open free use like from incompetech. 

A lot of people and organisations do not wish even the hint of some sort of impropriety too so this thread is giving the people the "where to go where it really is completely legitamet".


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

It's amazing how much press you can generate just by releasing your album for free - earning that press solely on the merit of your music.

Unlike lots of other artists who record mush, market the hell out of it and then expect to go platinum (and they usually do :sport-smiley-002

The only site I can think of to add to this list is www.indietorrents.com but it's invite only and it _does_ have some illegal stuff on there, but a lot of it is unsigned bands distributing their music for free.


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2009)

The original DIY-on-the-net label has downloads: http://www.magnatune.com/ -- not to mention excellent record contracts. It's a 50/50 split for royalties. And anything you sell privately is 100% yours.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

nkjanssen said:


> This is stemming from another thread where a few people expressed the opinion that, even though: (a) downloading music from P2P networks for private use is perfectly legal under Canadian law, (b) there is a statutory scheme in place to compensate copyright holders for that private copying; (c) the whole private copying scheme was instututed at the behest of groups representing copyright holders; and (d) well over $200 million has been distributed to holders so far under the scheme...anyone who uses the private copying provisions in the Copyright Act is, in a moral sense if not a legal sense, a THEIF!


You know, I was happy to stay out of this thread and let people of like mind chat about their common interests until I read this.

Regarding the thief thing, if the shoe fits, wear it.

Consider the reality that this levy you use as rationalization, is based on a percentage of volume of sales. The more people download, the lower sales become (no secret there). So the more downloading that occurs, the smaller the amount of the levy.

Or am I mathmatically challenged? 

Go ahead and do what you must, but stop wasting time trying to convince me and others who share my distaste for stealing from musicians that music is free.


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2009)

Milkman said:


> You know, I was happy to stay out of this thread and let people of like mind chat about their common interests until I read this.
> 
> Regarding the thief thing, if the shoe fits, wear it.
> 
> ...


All of the music linked to in this thread is _given away by the copyright holders_ -- they've _chosen_ to charge nothing for their music. nkjassen, Milkman: maybe we can take our argument back to the other thread? :smile:


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Milkman said:


> You know, I was happy to stay out of this thread and let people of like mind chat about their common interests until I read this.
> 
> Regarding the thief thing, if the shoe fits, wear it.
> 
> ...


:wave: This thread is in it's way for you Milkman, not against you. This is the legal and moral alternative no matter where you are in the world. *This is the place of all that is really and truly free in the world of music.* Made free by the people that make the music themselves.

Or nearly; there is another style of person I will add to the list. http://www.jonathancoulton.com/store/downloads/

Now, I am listing him for another reason. His music is not "free" but he gives you a different way of looking at music that is quite interesting. Essentially you can easily get his works for free, and he accepts that. He gives people the chance to pay for it by donation. I think it is in part the "you didn't like it? don't worry don't pay for it" movement that happened during part of the 1990's. The obligation is of course that if you like what you have/hear you pay. It is all explained on his page on his site on the page I linked 

With Jonathan you are free from fear of reprisal or retribution and that is a good free to be free from.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

iaresee said:


> All of the music linked to in this thread is _given away by the copyright holders_ -- they've _chosen_ to charge nothing for their music. nkjassen, Milkman: maybe we can take our argument back to the other thread? :smile:


LOL, _I _didn't bring it here. I Was merely responding to a post (now removed) which once again made arguments relative to the other thread in question.


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2009)

Milkman said:


> LOL, _I _didn't bring it here. I Was merely responding to a post (now removed) which once again made arguments relative to the other thread in question.


Sorry, you're absolutely right there. 

So: did you try out any of the links in this thread?


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2009)

*Go Home Productions' first full-length album*

This is big news for me. I've been listening to GHP's stuff for years now and Mark Vidler has always turned out killer good mixes. He's done gone and written, recorded, mixed and produced an entire album of original material. And he's giving it away.

From the press release he just sent me:



> This message is from the Go Home Productions mailing list
> Once Upon A Time........
> 
> Hello, hope you are well and avoiding any sneezes...
> ...


Enjoy!


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

theelectic said:


> www.archive.org
> 
> A lot of the stuff is in FLAC which takes an extra conversion step, but there's enough there to keep anyone entertained for days, if not months.


Can't stress this one enough. Some of the shows on here are pro-recorded, I got a Dredg one from Kansas City I think it was the other day that was mind blowing in all aspects.


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## Cipskect (Jul 16, 2009)

*How to fill your iPod for free Legally With no moral quandries*

My harddrive is roughly 60gb, but Ive still managed to just about fill up 120GB - Ive saved all my music, movies and pictures onto my iPod, which is about 50GB, and had to sync the movies and music to my iPod, which is about 48-49GB, totaling to roughly 100GB. I dont really keep anything on my computer anymore I REALLY hope my iPod doesnt crash...


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