Free Stuff Category

Rock band Plain White T's is offering a free download of their Halloween single The House on Shady Lane. The a link to the single can be obtained by using the form provided below.

Leftover Cuties - Paces to Go (2011)

Posted by: Aequi

Leftover Cuties - Game Called Life EP (2009)

Posted by: Aequi

For a limited time, you can get a code from Facebook to download 20 songs from Sub Pop records. The Sub Pop Summer Sampler 2011 is being offered as a free download until June 30, 2011.

The album features many popular Sub Pop artists such as Fleet Foxes, J Mascis and The Head and the Heart.

Chromeo - Business Casual (2010)

Robert Palmer - Pressure Drop (1975)

Office Space (1999)

Posted by: Rat

And far be it from being sexist, here's a guy plastered in post-it notes, from the soundtrack for the 1999 comedy Office Space. The film centers around ordinary disgruntled office workers at an IT firm and the soundtrack includes such tracks as Get Off My Elevator (Kool Keith), Big Boss Man (Junior Reid) and All that Meat and No Potatoes (Louis Armstrong).

Daria Sings for Earth Day is a 6-track EP with classics and well known songs such as We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands (written by Obie Phillis, a Cherokee Indian, while serving in WWII) and A Whole New World (composed by Alan Menkin with lyrics by Tim Rice for the 1992 Disney film Aladdin).

This 2011 Earth Day offering can be bought from Amazon.com. and iTunes, or you could downloaded it for free from Daria's website. You just need to email Daria with news of something green you have done for the planet. The artwork for the EP was created by Farah Aria, a children's storybook illustrator. The materials to create the cover were all recycled. Nice!

Daria - Daria Sings for Earth Day (2011)

Posted by: Aequi

"Multicultural children's performer DARIA has spent the last two decades performing in the US and around the world, creating music to inspire all the world's children. Along with five national awards for her culturally diverse music, Daria's website (www.dariamusic.com) was given a 2009 Parent's Choice Award and offers many great resources for teachers, parents and kids of all abilities."

Aladdin Special Edition Soundtrack (1992)

Posted by: zeefritz

The original version in Aladdin of A Whole New World was sung by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga. They also performed the song in their characters at the 65th Academy Awards, where it won Best Song.

A single version was later released that year and was performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. As the biggest pop hit for each artist, this version peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 6, 1993, ending Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You and it's 14 week stranglehold on the position. Both versions of A Whole New World can be found on the Aladdin Special Edition Soundtrack.

Georgia Fair - Marianne (2010)

Posted by: Aequi

Paper Bag Records is offering a free download of True Blue, an album of cover versions from Madonna's 1986 album. The album features the songs from the Madonna album covered by artists on the Paper Bag Records label.

1. Woodhands - Papa Don't Preach
2. Young Galaxy - Open Your Heart
3. The Acorn - White Heat
4. The Rural Alberta Advantage (We're Scared Version) - Live To Tell
   
5. PS I Love You - Where's The Party
   
6. Winter Gloves - True Blue
   
7. Laura Barrett - La Isla Bonita
   
8. Born Ruffians - Jimmy Jimmy
   
9. You Say Party - Love Makes The World Go Round

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Iconfactory is one of the leading designers of commercial computer icons. To promote their business, they offer freeware icons and wallpapers on their website.

Their latest freeware offering is a set of icons designed as a tribute to electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk. The set was designed by Dave Brasgalla and contains 13 icons with large resources for Windows & Mac OS X. The artwork from the band's most notable albums is featured on high-quality, glossy button icons.

Download the Icons

Electra is an alternative rock band based in Tel Aviv who released their debut album Heartbreaks for Fools last year. I stumbled on their cover of Donna Summer's I Feel Love that they posted on YouTube yesterday and I can't stop listening to it.

I Feel Love is the b-side of their single Dawn of Summer (right). Both songs and several others are available as free downloads on the band's official website. I highly recommend the remix version of I Feel Love.

The digital version of the album is currently available on Amazon.com for only $5.99. It features 12 great tracks with a retro 1980s rockabilly sound and some surprising surf guitar.

For a limited time, Amazon.com is offering a free download of Ellie Goulding's song Starry Eyed. The song is featured on Goulding's current album Lights, which was released on March 8, 2011.

Get Free Download

Posted by: zeefritz

Electronic music band DATAROCK has announced that their forthcoming single Catcher in the Rye will be the most extravagant single in history. It is scheduled to be released on March 21, 2011.

The single will be packaged as a designer toy with a USB stick that features 110 tracks, 1500 photos taken at the group's shows in 33 countries, 20 music videos, and Never Say Die, a brand new hour-long concert film. The single will also be released as a digital 5 track EP. The USB features the EP, the new album Music For Synchronization, both of their previous albums with bonus tracks, the new Lost and Found b-sides and rarities compilation, 15 new instrumentals, and the 40 track remix album Mixed Up.

The toy was created by Brian Flynn at Hybrid Design and San Francisco based pioneer company SUPER7. The band is offering the song Catcher in the Rye as a free MP3. You can download the MP3 here and it the band encourages reposting of the link.

The press release for the forthcoming album by Black Devil Disco Club (aka Bernard Fevre) is perhaps one of the most incomprehensible I have ever attempted to read. Since the album cover art (below) is pretty cool, I will try to decipher it anyway.

There is no release date given for the album, which is titled Circus. According to the press release, it will feature Nancy Sinatra, Claire Evans of YACHT (I think), Afrika Bambaataa, and several other interesting artists.

The single My Screen is available as a free download. You can use the widget posted below to receive a link via email. There is also a music video for the song on YouTube.

Another single called In Doubt featuring CocknBullKid (right) also features an interesting illustration as cover art. I do not have any information about the art direction. However, the album covers from the Lo Recordings label are always unique.

Yelle - Safari Disco Club (2011)

Posted by: zeefritz

The forthcoming album from singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer is called Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under (right). It is scheduled to be released on February 1, 2011. The album is a collection of both live and studio recordings.

The first single from the album is currently available as a free download. The music video was recently posted on YouTube and it is causing a bit of controversy. That is because the song is about Palmer's vagina. I am not joking. Apparently, the map of Tasmania is shaped like the female pubic region.

I suppose the title of Palmer's album is a double entendre. The cover features a photograph of a woman with a passport shoved down her crotch.

The cover art for the single is far less subtle. However, you have to watch the video to get the full impact. I have to give Palmer points for sticking to a theme.

Paul Simon is giving away a free download of his new Christmas song, Getting Ready for Christmas Day, on his official website. The song is from his forthcoming album So Beautiful Or So What which will be released in Sping 2011.

You can get the single by entering your email address at PaulSimon.com, or you can use the widget provided below.

The new Duran Duran single All You Need is Now is currently available on iTunes as a free download. The single is the title track from the band's forthcoming album, which is scheduled to be released in digital format on December 21, 2010.

The Superions just tweeted that their single Fruitcake is the Free Song of the Day from Amazon.com. The song is from their new holiday album Destination Christmas.

The single comes with low quality artwork. So, you may want to snag one of the high resolution covers from the AAX gallery.

Posted by: zeefritz

To promote the upcoming release of their first album of new material in 16 years, British post-punk band Gang of Four is offering a free download of a three-track EP. The EP features 320 kbps MP3 and high resolution artwork (below). The album, titled Content, will be released next year.

To get the download, all you have to do is submit your email address using the widget below.

Pop music blog Chart Rigger has tipped us off to a free download of Ke$ha's new single We R Who We R. The single will be available until noon tomorrow and requires that you add your email address to Ke$ha's mailing list.

The single is a 160 kbps MP3 that does not come with artwork. So, you will have to snag the cover from the AAX gallery if you want artwork for the music file. The file isn't tagged either. Oh, well. You get what you pay for, right?

Get the Free Download

Don't Look Now by Far East Movement featuring Keri Hilson sounds a lot like Livvi Franc's Now I'm That Bitch. The single is from the group's current album Free Wired (right).

Like the Livvi Franc song, Don't Look Now is a story about a romantic relationship. It just doesn't have the unhappy ending or the same quality of vocals. Auto-Tune has been stretched to its irritating limit.

I like the cover art that has been created for this project. There are a few different versions of the album cover floating around the Internet. They all feature strong neon type effects and a photograph of the group.

The cover for the single also features a photograph of the group. It is a good choice for an iTunes Free Single of the Week. It will give millions of people who are not familiar with Far East Movement an idea of who they are and what they look like.

The iTunes Free Single of the Week is The Ballad of You and I by California alternative rock band Mêlée. The song is from the band's current album The Masquerade. It was released on August 18, 2010.

I like the artwork for the single. The band has a very 1980s retro sound reminiscent of U2 from the era. The cover for the single conveys that image.

AlbumArtExchange.com user Jeff72 tipped me off about a new UK electronic duo that is generating a lot of attention by keeping their faces hidden. Their forthcoming self-titled debut album (right) is scheduled to be released in the UK on January 24, 2011.

The duo's single Love Get Out of My Way was released in the UK on August 30 and a promo video has been posted on YouTube. As with the album cover and the cover of the single, the duo's faces are not shown in the video. Instead, the video features characters wearing masks. This looks as if it is going to be an ongoing PR gimmick.

Those who choose to follow Monarchy's Facebook page by clicking the like button will receive a free download of another single called The Phoenix Alive. It is a 320 kbps high quality MP3 that is definitely worth downloading.

The iTunes Free Single of the Week is Second Chance, a track from the album Brand New Me by country singer Cory Morrow. It is definitely worth downloading.

The fourth in the Resident Evil film series opened in theaters today. Resident Evil: Afterlife is the first in the series to be released in 3D. In the film, the main character searches for and rescues survivors of a virus created by the evil Umbrella Corporation.

Milan Records is currently offering Umbrella, a track from the movie soundtrack, as free download from their website. The soundtrack was composed by tomandandy (Andy Milburn and Thomas Hajdu), who have composed music for several videogames and films. Their past projects include the films The Strangers, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Mothman Prophecies. The soundtrack is schedule to be released on September 28, 2010.

The cover art for the soundtrack is a square version of the movie poster. It features the film's star Milla Jovovich leaping through the window of a Los Angeles skyscraper with guns blazing.

Posted by: Orbs

Looking for something fun to do while you're home for the Labor Day holiday? How about some downloading free sample tracks from some interesting new albums?

Insound is an online store that sells vinyl, MP3s, band posters, t-shirts, turntables, and CDs. They also have a huge library of free sample tracks that doesn't require users to go through an annoying shopping cart or registration process.

The tracks do not come with album art. So, you want to visit the AAX gallery after you download them. The gallery has a large collection of covers from current indie artists.

Download Free MP3s

Cee-Lo Green is offering his latest single Georgia as a free download on his offical website. Just sign up for Cee-Lo's email list and you will be sent a link to download the single as a 320 kbps MP3. You will also receive a track from his mixtape Stray Bullets, ChamPain.

The cover art for the single looks like the sleeve of an old 45. That is appropriate, because the song has a vintage 1960s soul vibe to it. It features a photo of a pregnant woman. That really doesn't have much to do with the song. It is a tribute to Georgia, similar to the Ray Charles classic Georgia on My Mind.

Cee-Lo has been making headlines for the past few days with a very popular viral music video called F**k You. The video includes some four-letter words and cool animated text effects. I have posted it below. Needless-to-say, it is NSFW.

British pop duo The Ting Tings are offering a free download of a remix of Hands, the first single from their forthcoming album through a Facebook promotion. All you have to do is share your email address and the link to the download on your Facebook page and you will receive the track.

Titled Kunst, the album is scheduled to be released in October 2010. The single can be heard on the band's Facebook page and YouTube channel (they have not permitted embedding). The free track does not come with cover art. So, you may want to snag the image from the AAX gallery.

Posted by: zeefritz

Formed in Glasgow in 1987, The Vaselines released just two singles and one album. The duo split up in 1989, the same week their debut album was released.

Over 20 years later, The Vaselines have recorded a new album, Sex with an X. It was recorded outside Manchester at the Analogue Catalogue studio with guest musicians Stevie Jackson and Bob Kildea from Belle & Sebastian on guitar and bass, and Michael McGaughrin from the 1990s on drums.

The Vaselines are planning to tour the United States in October 2010. Their album is scheduled to be released on Sub Pop Records on September 14.

The a music video for the title single from the album was posted on YouTube yesterday. It features a priest and a nun on a wild excursion (the hilarious public urination scene is certain to be controversial).

Also, the single is currently available as a free download from Soundcloud.

Sup Pop Records and Amazin.com are giving away a free digital sampler album. Digital Bang: The 2010 Sub Pop Sampler for Amazon includes 15 tracks by Sub Pop artsits such as Avi Buffalo, Wolf Parade, Dum Dum Girls and comedian David Cross.

The cover art for the sample is better than most. However, you can find the actual album art for most of the tracks in the AAX gallery.

Last week, heavy metal rock band Iron Maiden revealed the cover art for their forthcoming album The Final Frontier on their official website. The Final Frontier will be the band's 15th studio album. It is scheduled to be released on August 16, 2010.

I must admit that I am somewhat disappointed in this album cover. While it is a high quality illustration and typical of Iron Maiden, it is significantly different from the style of the cover art for the single El Dorado (right) that is being offered as a free download in the Iron Maiden website.

The cover for the single is made to look like a vintage comic book. I was hoping that the album cover would use the same concept. Instead, it follows the same formula used by Iron Maiden for the past few decades. I guess it doesn't pay to change something that works.

For those interested in downloading the single, there is also a link to download a high resolution version of the cover art.

A mixtape collaboration from Major Lazer and La Roux has been made available as a free download. Lazerproof includes 14 tracks. In addition to Major Lazer's Diplo and Switch and La Roux, it features artists such as Amanda Blank, Gucci Mane, and Drake.

The cover art for the mixtape is similar to the comic book style of the Major Lazer project. The quality of the image is a disappointment. The music files come with a 700 x 700 pixel cover. However, the image is very compressed. Even the images on the official website have a lot of JPEG compression artifacts. I have posted a repaired cover to the gallery.

Visit the Download Site

You can download Travie McCoy's single Billionaire featuring singer, songwriter and music producer Bruno Mars free by sending out a Tweet. Just visit McCoy's website and click the "Tweet to Download" button to get a download code. You will be asked to give access to your Twitter account.

The single is from McCoy's album Lazarus (right), which will be released tomorrow. The single is very good and definitely worth downloading. You can't beat the price.

A high quality version of the album cover is still needed for the AAX gallery.

Free Download

British pop artist Lolene has revealed the cover of her debut album The Electrick Hotel. As a promotion, a free download of Rich (Fake It Til You Make It) (right), the the first single from the album, is being offered online. The album is schedule for release on August 24, 2010.

You can download the single using the widget below. It is not necessary to share your email address.

The cover art for both the single and the album use bright neon colors (and neon lights for the matter). I think I like the cover for the single a little more than that of the album. The effect achieved by having the artist hold the pink neon star is very cool.

Singer and songwriter Ryan Adams will soon be releasing a metal album called Orion. The artist's website is currently conducing a poll asking whether or not visitor would be interested in purchasing it on vinyl. You can also download a sample track called Electrosnake.

There has been some write ups about the album art being "special", but I don't really see anything to praise. This is a typography concept that we've all seen a thousand times. It certainly isn't a heart-shaped pizza!

Visit Ryan Adams' Website

The album art for former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell's forthcoming album was revealed online this week. The cover for Without Regret was displayed on the artist's website along with a free download of her single Say Love.

The cover features a photograph of Caldwell sitting on the floor in front of a leather sofa. The first thing that I noticed about the image is that Caldwell's right foot and ankle look huge. I think I would have don't some Photoshopping to make it look more in proportion with the rest of her body. I think she's going to regret it otherwise. The album is scheduled for release on April 6, 2010.

Blondie has made a new Christmas song available as a free download from the band’s website. We Three Kings is a rock version of the traditional carol. It is being offered as a promotion for a new Blondie album that is slated for release in 2010.

Go to the Download  

You can buy the digital version of Adam Lambert’s nerw album For Your Entertainment from Amazon.com for the discounted price of $3.99. When you apply the special discount code for a $3.00 discount, you will be charged only 99 cents for the entire album.

Just get the special discount code and then click the “buy now” link below. You’ll get Adam Lambert’s album for less than a buck. How can you beat that deal?

Alternative rock band Pixies is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Doolittle by giving away a free live performance EP. The Doolittle 20th Anniversary Live Sampler EP features four 320 Kbps MP3.

The cover art that comes with the EP is very basic. It simply features the band’s logo in school bus yellow on a brown background. However, the sound quality of the four songs is very good. Pixies always sound good live and this EP is no exception.

You can download the EP after submitting your email address on the band’s website or by using the widget posted below.

Yesterday, Google launched Google Discover Music. The new music search service provides links to Google partners such as Imeem.com, Lala and Rhapsody where music by the artist can be purchased. If a search is made for a specific track, it can be listened to on a player embedded in the search results.

To promote the launch, Lala is offering several free tracks and exclusives from artists like Tim McGraw and Phoenix. Most of the exclusives are live versions and similar tracks that are given away as promotions by record labels. When the link to Lala is followed, a pop up box appears with a “Free MP3 button (right).

I found the music search results to be very hit and miss. I entered in some popular artist and did not get a music search result at all. Searching for specific remixes and tracks of the same name from different albums was almost impossible. Below are the screens for the Google Music Discovery landing page and the search result for Tim McGraw.

http://google.com/landing/music

I downloaded the free Tim McGraw song and added it to iTunes. I was disappointed to discover that the album art is inferior. It is a 550 x 550 image rather than the standard 600 x 600. Click the thumbnail (right) to see the actual image file included with the Lala track.

It is clear that Google needs to do a lot of work to improve their music search. The search results should anticipate how people search for music based on artist, album, song title, lyrics and fragments of this information.

Otherwise, it is still easier to find the music on Amazon.com and iTunes. Unless Google can help consumers find music that is difficult to locate and popular rare tracks, they are not going to be serious competition to the two major online music retailers. Offering music files of superior quality would also be a good idea. I will avoid Lala simply for the inferior album cover art attached to their product.

American indie rock band Vampire Weekend have made the first single from their forthcoming album Contra (right) available as a free download. Horchata can be downloaded from the band’s website after entering a valid e-mail address.

The download includes a 320kbps MP3 file and a digital booklet. That’s a pretty good deal compared to most free music downloads.

Contra is scheduled to be released on January 11, 2010 in the U.K. and on January 12 in the U.S. The cover art for the album was revealed several weeks ago on the band’s website.

Vampire Weekend - Horchata Download

Erasure is offering a free download of a the Frankmusik Ghostly Groom Dub mix of Phantom Bride from their forthcoming PhantomBride EP. The track can be downloaded from Erasure’s Facebook page.

The EP will be released on October 13, prior to the 21st anniversary deluxe 3-disc edition reissue of The Innocents album (right) which is scheduled to drop on October 26th.

The free track is quite good and certainly worth downloading. You will not have to sign up for anything or give personal information in order to download the track. Just click the link on the Facebook page and you will be taken to the download page.

To visit Erasure’s Facebook page and download the free track, click here.

The cover for the EP features a bridal veil and a pocket watch. It is very fitting for the title song Phantom Bride.

DJ Tommie Sunshine just tweeted that he has made several of his remixes available as free downloads for Labor Day. I was thrilled to find a great remix of Sneaky Sound System’s 16. However, there are many tracks worth having.

I’m a big fan of Tommie Sunshine. It is great that he makes his tracks available on SoundCloud. I’ve downloaded several of his remixes over the last few months. If you like great dance music, check out his SoundCloud page:

http://soundcloud.com/tommiesunshine

You can even embed the tracks on your blog.

I found a nice surprise in my inbox today. ITunes is giving away 10 dance tracks from the Kompakt label. If you subscribe to iTunes new music newsletter, you will get an redeem code via e-mail.

“Since 1998, the German Kompakt family of labels has delivered electronic music fans ambient, microhouse, pop, trance, and minimal techno albums that display the organization’s inherent love of melody and diversity. Kompakt has recently welcomed a wide range of labels into its family. Hear music from some of those members on this free ten-track sampler.”

The tracks are pretty good. Obviously, they could have done a better job on the album cover. The image iTunes provides is this ugly 550 x 550 pixel thing. Ugh!

One of AAX blog’s Twitter followers is an L.A. alternative rock band called Kingsley. The band has been promoting their music through an online service called Twiturm. Twiturm allows users to share music files via Twitter.

This certainly is an innovative way to promote a recording artist. I was able to download Satisfy, a track from Kingsley’s 2008 album Choices in a matter of seconds. Kingsley was generous enough to provide a 320kbps MP3 with the album art embedded. Cool guys!

DJ/remixer Tommie Sunshine just sent out a tweet directing followers to a ton of free remixes for artist like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Major Lazer, Felix da Housecat and more.

http://soundcloud.com/tommiesunshine

British singer/songwriter Claire Hamill has made ten of her albums available as free downloads from her website. Hamill has been recording for almost 40 years and is one of several artists to have made their recording available to the public online. Hamill does request a donation, a portion of which is given to support families in Guatemala.

http://www.clairehamill.co.uk/music.html

None of Hamill’s album covers have yet been added to the AAX gallery. If you have any of her albums in your collection, please consider scanning them.

Hat tip: AAX user gege

The new album by New York rock band Assembly of Dust was just released in stores today. As a special promotion, the band is offering one free download a week on their website. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address. I do not know how long this promotion will continue.

I really like the look of the album cover and the band’s website. The choice of typography and colors are quite nice.

http://www.aodust.com

You can download a free track from the upcoming Om Records compilation album Om 15 - Celebrating 15 Years of Om Records at Dance Floor Mayhem.

The Wills and the Wonts (Enzo Ponzio Remix) by James Curd is one of 26 tracks on a 2-CD set. Ohter artists include Samantha James, Greenskeepers and Mike Monday.

Download at Dance Floor Mayhem

You can download a free Michael Jackson tribute compilation performed by various New Zealand indie artists from the Cheese on Toast website. The album includes 12 tracks, most of which have that folksy, indie feel. It is a decent compilation for those of us who like this kind of thing.

Moonlight, Good Times & Boogie

HDtracks is a new high-quality music download service offering a diverse catalog of independent music from around the world. To encourage potential customers to sign up for an account, HDtracks is offering a free Jazz and Blues music sampler called Jazz and Blues Experience to those who sign up by entering their e-mail address and a password.

Download Jazz and Blues Experience

The album includes seven tracks and a PDF digital booklet. You can choose AIFF, FLAC, or 320kbps MP3 formats.

I’ve decided to start a new category called Free Stuff. It seems that more and more recording artists are giving away music online.

Recently, Coldplay began offering a free download of an album of live performances. LeftRightLeftRightLeft includes four tracks. They are 192 bit rate and definitely worth submitting your e-mail address to get the link.

The album art includes an image of a butterfly. Along with human skulls, cars and sexy women, butterflies are one of the most popular objects on Rock album covers. This is not a particularly interesting butterfly. So, the album cover gets a B-minus.

You can go directly to the sign up form here:

LeftRightLeftRightLeft