BLOGS
Information Leafblower – A blog by Kyle Gustafson, a former music industry grunt who now works in e-media and has no regrets about giving-up his rock and roll lifestyle.
Hear Ya – An indie music blog providing indie music enthusiasts a place to discover new, independent music through MP3 downloads, interviews, compilations, editorials and contests.
Largehearted Boy – A music blog featuring daily free and legal music downloads as well as news from the worlds of music, literature, and pop culture.
Pitchfork – An Internet publication devoted to music criticism, music news, and artist interviews. It focuses primarily on indie rock but has covered a range genres from electronic, pop, hip hop, dance, folk, jazz, metal, and experimental music.
Obscure Sound – An indie music blog with MP3 downloads, info on unknown bands, interviews, compilations, editorials and contests.
Stereogum – An online resource for Indie and Alternative music providing MP3 downloads, interviews, compilations, editorials, contests and videos.
The Futurist – The independent rock blog of WOXY 97X in Cincinnati, OH.
MUSIC DISCOVERY SITES
Band Buzz – A site for bands to upload their music and be discovered. Users can vote and comment on the music and share it with their friends.
Epitonic – Explore cutting-edge music, create playlists, and download some full tracks.
Last.fm – Popular music networking site allows users to keep track of music then search for new music based on their past listening habits. Other features include artist info, find people with similar tastes, find local shows and create song lists.
Musicovery – Discover new music based on your mood, styles and epochs.
Pandora – An automated music recommendation and Internet radio service created by the Music Genome Project. Users enter a song or artist and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Users provide feedback on approval or disapproval — which Pandora takes into account for future selections.
OneLlama.com – Start with just one song, or a whole playlist, and see what other “llamas” suggest you might like.
INDIE RECORD STORES
Independent Retail Directory – The IRD is an online database of the best indie record stores in the US. Find the store closest to you using the Store Locator or check out the chats, contests, and give-aways.
| Amoeba Music
San Francisco, Ca |
CD Baby
Online |
Easy Street Records
Seattle, Wa |
| Electric Fetus
Minneapolis, Mn |
Fabulous Jackpot Records
Portland, Or |
Grimey’s New and Preloved Music
Nashville, Tn |
| Jerry’s Records
Pittsburgh, Pa |
Magnolia Thunderpussy
Columbus, Oh |
Plan 9 Music
Richmond, Va |
| Sonic Boom Records
Seattle, Wa |
Twist & Shout
Denver, Co |
Waterloo Records
Austin, Tx |
RADIO STATIONS
KEXP – A public radio station based in Seattle owned by the University of Washington which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project and specializes in independent rock programmed by dj’s.
Radio 1190 – A college radio station affiliated with the University of Colorado at Boulder.
WYEP – A non-commercial, listener-supported radio station in Pittsburgh that specializes in eclectic music and programming.
All Songs Considered – A weekly online program founded by NPR’s All Things Considered director featuring new music, commentary and streaming audio from a mix of all genres.
TRADITIONAL PUBLICATIONS
A.V. CLUB – An entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion – has reliable music reviews.
No Depression – A website and bi-annual “bookazine” published with University of Texas Press (formerly the bi-monthly magazine) which covers a broad range of Alt. Country music, Roots Rock and Americana.
Paste Magazine – Premier independently published music magazine for people who still enjoy discovering new music, prize substance and songcraft over fads and manufactured attitude, and appreciate quality music across a broad stylistic spectrum–indie rock, Americana, folk, blues, jazz, etc.
Village Voice Music – A site that focuses on the New York City independent music scene.
DATABASES | DIRECTORY’S | WIKIS
Allmusic – Has one of world’s largest digital archive of music, with six million songs as well as the world’s largest cover art library. Content is created by professional data entry staff, editors, and network of over 900 writers/music critics.
SoundUnwound – The new music site from IMDb and Amazon.com which compiles music-related data from IMDB, Amazon, Musicbrainz and user contributions in a wiki format.
WikiMusicGuide – An open-content music guide written collaboratively by people around the world; where music fans can share knowledge about their favorite songs and artists.
ORGANIZATIONS | ASSOCIATIONS
Indie-Music.com – Facilitates connections between musicians, the music industry and fans. Provides artist profiles, how-to articles, underground music news, reviews, interviews, radio stations, and a massive music industry search engine.
The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) – A group of the best independent music stores in America. Recognized by the music industry and their local communities for outstanding dedication to customer service and developing artist support.
Think Indie – A consortium of independent record retailers determined to bring true music lovers back to the store; they are equipped with a unique catalogue of exclusive releases, live shows and limited-edition goodies.
OTHER
GigPosters.com – Showcases a collection of gig posters, handbills and flyers from around the world. Browse by artists, band, designers or venues.
Descriptions were adapted from the resources.