The Times They Are A-Changin'

They say you can't buy anything with a dollar anymore....and I suppose "they" are probably right.  $2 though?  $2 can buy you access to 10s of 1000s of songs.  The place?  Daytrotter.com

Daytrotter is a site that's been around for the better part of a decade for the purpose of distributing (in a legal way) music from lesser known bands.  They host a small music studio in Rock Island, IL in which bands stop on their way across the country to record live performances of both popular and previously unreleased songs.  These songs then get posted on Daytrotter's website for your listening pleasure.

Here's the catch though.....back in the day (circa 2008) Daytrotter was totally free.  This served to make the site extra awesome, because now you could obtain 5-6 tracks from a large number of bands FOR FREE.  Sigh....those were the days.  Today?  $2 a month.  I mean, you aren't exactly going to have to sacrifice a rent check to afford the $2 a month....but it ain't free.

Regardless....you get an awful lot though for your two bucks.  The site has grown substantially over the past few years allowing them to record performances of more (and bigger) artists.  It seems like they try to post a performance a day.  They allow both streaming AND downloading access to thousands of songs from bands with varying degrees of popularity.  For example, the two most recent sessions are from a lesser known singer-songwriter Charlie Faye and a slightly more popular rock band named Wilco.

I'm listening to the Wilco session right now.  You can find the session here.  Its decent.  Four tracks from this year's The Whole Love including the awesome, acoustic "One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley's Boyfriend)".  The tracks aren't terribly different from what you'd find on the album, however.  I find that a bit disappointing.

Anyways, there's tons of great music to be found on their site and they're currently offering a free seven day trial.  Its not one of those free trials where you have to give your credit card and then remember to cancel after seven days either.  Nope....just give them an email address and you have total access to the site.  If you can't tell, I definitely recommend the site to people that are well versed in indie rock and also to those just looking to find something a little different.