Blogs that focus on music can sometimes walk a fine line between constructive sharing and just straight up illegal distribution. Big record companies do not seem to worry about audio blogs as much as file sharing programs since most sites have a relatively low number of visitors (in the thousands) and because a lot of these mp3 blogs tend to focus on indie or out of print projects. In addition, the more knowledgeable sites tend to limit their posts to sample tracks or snippets which amounts to free promotion for artists. Indie companies, on the other hand, probably should be more concerned about the negative impact on sales. For small organizations trying to get by on a few thousand presses at a time, a site that provides an entire album for download to a few hundred or potentially more visitors is a significant hit. Promotional sites that offer a track or two and provide links to purchase probably benefit indies more than not, but that’s a tougher argument when sites offer entire albums. We’re not trying to take sides here. We recognize this medium for promotion and sales is still relatively young and is working itself out. And it’s probably a safe prediction to state that record companies will eventually figure out a successful way to let mp3 blogs post audio and at the same time offer direct-download sales and a share of the revenue (we can’t wait for that!). In addition, we also recognize a lot (and by a lot, I mean at least 800,000 people who bought the Jay-Z album) of people do not realize how easy it is to download music from the web. But we are still concerned about some sites that seem to neglect their own potential for impact, which brings us to the main reason for this fast rant. Lately, we’ve been coming across a slew of audio blogs focusing on indie rap. These sites have been standing out to us because they offer entire projects, sometimes even with cover art, for download. Initially, we weren’t going to list them but in the interest of transparent discussion, why not? And c’mon, anyone with google can get to these with a few clicks.
wakeyourdaughterup.blogspot.com
def-jux.blogspot.com
masscorporation.blogspot.com
szyszkin-hhbest.blogspot.com
crooklyns.blogspot.com
arnie-bossplayer.blogspot.com
strictlybeats.blogspot.com
