In the words of the wise social commentator-cum-pop diva extraordinaire Madonna, “Music makes the people come together.” No one knows this better than the people behind NoiseTrade, the Internet’s best-kept secret for musicians and fans alike.
Like many other college students, music is one of my greatest passions. Who among us hasn’t relished in the discovery of an awesome new song or listened to an all-time favorite band on repeat? But, like most college students, I am also–how should I put it?–broke. That’s where NoiseTrade comes in. Founded by singer/songwriter Derek Webb on the premise that word of mouth is more valuable than income for up-and-coming musicians, NoiseTrade lets artists distribute their music directly–and more importantly, freely–to fans like you and me. For nothing more than your name, email address, and zip code, NoiseTrade provides an easy-to-use widget where listeners can browse fair-trade music, preview song samples, and download full length albums for the donation of their choosing–even if that’s just the promise to spread the word and trade the noise. Finally, music enthusiasts can be rewarded for connecting through the exchange of music instead of punished for sharing the love.
“Who needs peer-to-peer when you can have artist-to-fan?” says Webb of his project. “If artists and fans realized how they could help each other and started making direct connections, without a middleman, the whole industry would change overnight. It would start a revolution.”
So go ahead, collegiette™. Join the revolution.
Edited by: Brianna Frisch