About.com Rating
*Update* This service is no longer active. However, for more options see our article on the Best Free and Legal Music Download Sites.
The Bottom Line
ArtistServer.com focuses mainly on independent music from unsigned artists and provides an excellent set of promotional tools. There are over 8,000 songs available to listen to on-demand or download as MP3s. The website also has some unique elements that set it apart from the average music social network; MP3 ringtones, photos/graphics, your own newsletter, podcasts, and even a classified section containing offers from members.
ArtistServer.com has a great community spirit via its lively forums and serves up an interesting blend of media experiences that makes it a worthy destination in the discovery of new music.
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Pros
- Website is well designed and offers a good range of media services
- Excellent spread of music genres
- Lively members' forum
- Good membership services
Cons
- No browser-embedded player
- Small music catalog compared to other free and legal services
Description
- Service type: Unlimited, Free and Legal
- Music library: 8,000+ tracks
- Available music formats: MP3
- Music Delivery: HTTP, streaming audio
Guide Review - ArtistServer.com Review: A Social Media Website
Introduction
ArtistServer.com started out in 2001 as an electronic music website called ElectronicScene.com. Today, it has grown into a full media experience that brings artists, record labels, and listeners together via its social network environment.
Services for listeners: Signing up to the free member account to listen to and download free and legal music gets you the following services:
- Customizable website
- Blogging tools
- Write reviews
- Forums
- Create stations with playlists
Upgrading your account ($12/year) gives you 250Mb of file storage.
Services for artists: The free account gives you the ability to upload songs, publish newsletters, offer MP3 ringtones, and open a store to sell merchandise. Upgrading your account ($40/year) increases your storage to 250Mb and enables you to upload more songs (up to 300) at higher bitrates (maximum 320 kbps).
Website: ArtistServer.com's website design is well laid out and navigation is easy via the menu tabs at the top of the screen.The account options are logically grouped together which helps to configure your account and use all the provided tools with the minimum of fuss. Finally, to listen to any of the music tracks on ArtistServer.com, you need a software media player installed on your computer. This is the only downside to using the website that could benefit from utilizing a browser-embedded player.
Media: Independent music is the predominant type of media on ArtistServer.com and although its catalog is quite small it offers a very large choice of genres. There is also a growing photos and graphics section that is interesting to browse through.
Music Quality, Formats, and Delivery: The audio quality of the streaming audio and MP3 downloads are excellent; download speeds are also very good. The music is provided in the MP3 format for downloads and streaming audio is near CD quality.
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