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Members posting such links should ensure that the site they are linking to is entirely legal.
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I did - see post 5 - but thank you for confirming. Appreciated. ’Tis a pity those so quick to suggest aspersions are not so fast with their fact checking and slower yet with apology, but c’est la vie.
In this fast moving society it is no longer the case that record label managers could dismiss the vast majority of musicians sending in FREE demo tapes to be left in obscurity so that the cabal of the labels, the “chosen few” and the very limited number of radio stations could all get obscenely rich at the expense of us, the consumer. When I was my son’s age I had a veritable collection of LPs and CDs all purchased “blind” i.e. without hearing them first. By comparison my son has very little purchased music but prefers instead to stream for free (other than consuming adverts as well) on You Tube. Others prefer Spotify etc. So quite the reversal in just one generation.
SACDs of Dire Straits and Steely Dan are excellent - but there is a whole world of music and new musicians out there beyond the familiar awaiting discovery.
From what I can see of Bandcamp is that they provide an opportunity for those musicians who would otherwise be ignored by record labels to market themselves direct to the public. It seems the musicians themselves decide how much to charge for their music to be downloaded. Most charge, which as I stated in my o.p. is fair enough, and I have purchased much music that way (I am currently listening to the excellent I Met Her By The River, by Dawda Jobarteh which I acquired this way), however when there is so much to choose from I need less persuading to download music free of charge to see if it grows on me - to give it a chance. I guess this is sort of playing the role of the record label manager. If it does, then as stated in my o.p., I feel morally obliged to purchase, with money, a second, third etc album from the same artist even when they are (legally) made available free. (Indeed I am sent emails with links to new releases available for free - so the artist can hardly be upset, quite the opposite!) As the artist wishes to increase fanbase and needs to compete with free streaming etc. and I increase my musical repertoire in a way I wouldn’t otherwise have I see this as a win - win.
In this vein may I suggest the following “Name Your Price” ;-
Projekt - Spring 2019 (free download!), by Various Artists
Mira, by Tropo
Open Ancient Eyes, by Kalya Scintilla
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