HWS curator on Free Music Archive

HWS curator on Free Music Archive

We are uploading all our net-label releases to the Free Music Archive. A project where you can discover new music curated by the likes of Dublab, ESP Disk, WFMU  and now Humanworkshop.

The Free Music Archive

The FMA made the search for good, free music so much easyer. Mostly
because it is curated by a group of pioneers of internet radio and music
blogging, unlike the un-moderated Internet Archive
(IA), where a search yields more quantity than quality. (not
disregarding the importance of the IA in anyway) But also the  layout
and the indexing of the music is streamlined towards the philosophy of
the project: discovering and sharing “free’ music.

To enhance the reading experience and demonstrating the sharing element
of the FMA a little musical treat:



So what is “free” music?
it’s much more than just freely
downloadable mp3’s without paying anybody (accept your internet bill).

Every mp3 you discover on
The Free Music Archive is pre-cleared for
certain types of uses that would otherwise be prohibited by copyright
laws that were not designed for the digital era.

The Free Music Archive is directed by WFMU, a freeform internet radio station
(also broadcasting at 91.1 fm in New York)  and (beware of the) (mp3)blog. With this
background comes a long history with  dealing with the ever
changing music industry.

Are you a podcaster
looking for pod-safe audio?  A radio or video
producer searching for instrumental bed music that won’t put your
audience to sleep?  A remix artist looking for pre-cleared
samples?  Or
are you simply looking for some new sounds to add to your next
playlist?  The Free Music Archive is a resource for all that
and more,
and unlike other websites, all of the audio has been hand-picked by
established audio curators.  

Since HWS is a big fan of plunderphonics the FMA is not only a source to share our own music, but also to use it as a resource for new music.

filter on FMA

Humanworkshop will make an album using the afore mentioned method. Plunderphonics done the legal way. Take an idea
and make it in
to something new, like all the artists before us did. We will keep you up to date about this project, via our blog on humanworkshop.com and via the HWS blog on FMA. Let’s hope the
FMA is a sign of  how the music industry as a whole will look
like sometime this century.

Other curators.

A selection of curators
that are highly recomended for our readers and listeners:

Dublab is
a non-profit web radio collective devoted to the growth of
positive music, arts and culture. We have been broadcasting
independently since 1999. Our audience of turned-on listeners connect
from around the world. dublab’s mission is to share beautiful
music via
the world’s best djs. What you hear on dublab crosses genres and defies
classification. Unlike traditional radio, the dublab djs have total
freedom of selection. You will experience many different sounds but
find they all have the same soulful root. We have extended our creative
action to include art exhibits, film projects, event production and
record releases.

ESP-DISK’
opened for business in New York City in 1966 on the
12th floor of 156 5th Avenue. During its first 18 months, 45 albums
were recorded and released, featuring previously unknown free
improvisational artists. The only exceptions were Ornette Coleman and
Paul Bley, both of whom had gained global recognition during the
1950’s. Artists who made their debuts as leaders on ESP included Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, Gato
Barbieri, Bob James, Marion Brown, Roswell Rudd, Burton Greene, Patty
Waters, Henry Grimes, Charles Tyler, Sunny Murray, Milford Graves,
Sonny Simmons, Ronnie Boykins and Frank Wright
.
Several of these artists were then quickly sought out and recorded by
the Impulse and Columbia labels. ESP had signed no term agreements with
its artists, anticipating that this might happen, and that they would
then enjoy promotional support from these large companies

Excavated Shellac
A blog dedicated to 78rpm recordings of folkloric and vernacular music
from around the world. “These items are from my own collection (unless
noted) and have been
transferred to the best of my abilities, without the aid of expensive
noise reduction software. They are for research purposes only. With
just a few rare exceptions, I post items that are not available on CD
in any way, shape, or form.”


Humanworkshop is always focusing on new ways to discover and share good
music.  We try to find a balance between making money with
music and sound design and  sharing it with as many people as
possible.  We release and produce CD’s,  and
 our artists are released on vinyl from time to time.
 But the format is just a small part of our artistic
expressions.  The internet, open source software and
collaboration are a vital part of our “commercial strategy” to make
money with sounds and music.

Humanworkshop on the FMA