Sponsor's Message

Most of us despise the way they treat their customers as criminals, despite the fact that most of us would gladly prefer to pay a reasonable price for recordings that offered good value and were unencumbered by DRM systems that compromised their compatibility with our PCs and car-stereos.

Well today, instead of bitching about the mainstream labels, I'm going to offer a bit of a Friday Free For All and invite readers to tell us what they think is the best indie music and where it can be had.

Now have your say Got something to say about today's column, or want to see what others think?  Visit The Forums While you're here, why not visit the Aardvark Hall of Shame and perhaps make your own nomination.

Quite frankly, I think it's a crying shame that so much independently produced music goes unnoticed and unappreciated -- especially when you consider the effect that advances in technology have had.

Thanks to modern hardware and software, it's possible to do multi-track recording with extremely high quality, then produce some very professional results through skillful mixing.

Your average PC or Apple computer has a hundred times more potential than the old mixing desks used to produce all of the Beatle's hit albums for instance.

Then, once you've produced your killer tracks, it has never been easier to promote them and get them to a market of potential customers -- thanks to the net.

Of course these strengths are a double-edged sword.

Now there are literally tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of bands out there all clamouring for your attention through their own websites and recordings - so how do you sort the wheat from the chaff?

Maybe those Aardvark readers who closely follow the indie scene could help the rest of us by pointing out great download, review and information sites where we can go to help make some informed choices.

And what's your own list of favourite indie bands and tracks?

Come on folks, the best way to show the mainstream recording industry that they're missing the boat is to promote the alternatives.

Go have your say in The Aardvark Forums

If you feel that this is a good thing and/or you hold a "geniune affection" for yours truly -- then you are welcome to gift me some money using the buttons provided. In gifting this money you accept that no goods, service or other consideration is offered, provided, accepted or anticipated in return. Just click on the button to gift whatever you can afford. NOTE: PayPal bills in US dollars so don't accidentally gift more than what you were intending :-)

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