MP3 blogs offer free samples and tip sheets of hot new music

In today’s decentralized music universe, how can you hear new stuff that you might like to listen to?

Publications that describe and review music abound, in print and online, but it can take some effort to figure out what the heck the writers are talking about: Anyone for screamo? Sadcore? Acid techno?

There’s plenty of streaming radio online, if you’ve the patience for it, and the wherewithal to jot down the names of songs and bands you liked.

One friend prefers to do his research by whiling away the occasional afternoon at a chain store sampling music through its listening-station headphones.

But I have my own listening stations right at my home or (don’t tell my boss) work computer.

They’re called MP3 blogs, and they serve as a combination of tip sheet, word of mouth and free-sample table.

Collectively, they’ve become a wave of Johnny Appleseeds who spread new music around the country (and the world), to the point that many performers and labels service them with promo recordings in the same way they’ve traditionally courted radio stations and print music writers.

When Matador Records recently released a promo MP3 of “Another Sunny Day,” a song from the forthcoming Belle & Sebastian recording “The Life Pursuit,” it spread with viral speed through the blogs.

Defining any species that lives on the Internet is risky, but here goes: In general, MP3 blogs either host or link directly to music files – most often in MP3 format – that visitors can download and play on their computers and portable music machines.

They’re labors of love, though some are popular enough to draw advertising. Many concentrate on just-released music, while some revive popular or neglected music from the past.

There’s a preponderance of indie and alt-rock stuff, but you can find MP3 blogs for every taste and subtaste.

You like hip-hop? Try Cocaine Blunts and Hip Hop Tapes (www.cocaineblunts.com/new).

Cover versions of songs, chosen for both their musical and unintentionally humorous value? Step right up to Copy, Right? (copycommaright.blogspot.com).

Lee Hartsfeld shares his hard-earned knowledge of popular culture and his massive vinyl collection at the truthfully named Music You (Possibly) Won’t Hear Anyplace Else (musicyouwont.blogspot.com).

David Gutowski’s Largehearted Boy (blog.largeheartedboy.com) is a Lexus of the genre, a classy vehicle with lots of extras.

Cheekily described by Donewaiting.com as “the oldest hipster in north Alabama,” Gutowski blogs about books and pop culture as well as music.

The musical core of LHB is its Daily Downloads – 10 daily links to free and legal music downloads.

“Every day, the posts are a musical stream-of-consciousness experience, usually influenced by what I listened to the day before,” Gutowski wrote in an e-mail. “Most of the music is indie rock and alt-country, but I try not to limit the posts to specific genres.”

His Daily Downloads section for Jan. 4, for example, linked to recordings of live shows by Local H, Ween, Matisyahu and Fugazi, as well as downloadable tracks by the less well known Colored Shadows and Feverking.

“I get many e-mails and several discs in the mail daily from bands, labels, and PR firms,” Gutowski wrote. “I actually encourage musicians to get in touch with me and listen to everything sent my way.”

Robbie McCown started his classy blog Womenfolk (womenfolk.net) to share his passion for female singer-songwriters.

In recent months, he’s showcased Missouri singer Hilary Scott (www.hilaryscott.com), Air collaborator and singer-songwriter Beth Hirsch (www.bethhirsch.com) and Swedish songbird Britta Persson (www.brittapersson.com).

As part of its Cover Girls series, Womenfolk also has posted songs by better-known singers Kristin Hersh (of the Throwing Muses), Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer), Marti Jones and Annie Lennox (from a pre-Eurythmics band).

“Generally, I think these songwriters and many like them are realizing the significance that MP3 blogs have in the promotion of their music,” wrote McCown, who lives in Vacaville, Calif., and is the online editor for a small newspaper.

While some MP3 bloggers post commercially available music, they haven’t attracted the legal wrath of the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group that polices copyright infringement.

For one, MP3 blogs deal in small amounts of music when compared with the deluge of illegally shared music that moves through file-sharing networks. They also tend to make songs available for a limited time, and will take them down if performers complain.

They often post a prominent disclaimer, like this one found on Gorilla vs. Bear (gorillavsbear.blogspot.com): “MP3s for sampling only – if you like it, support the artist. Buy the record. Go to the show. Wear the T-shirt.”

Philosophically, record labels might decide to be glad that MP3 bloggers are in action. They’re spreading a passion for new music in a person-to-person way that other media can’t.

Wrote Larghearted Boy’s Gutowski: “When I hear something I like, I am more than happy to share the love and post a link to their music.”