I hate sending MRML readers to MySpace because it's a near-dead social networking site that gets worse with every upgrade. But MySpace still manages to have information AND sample songs for just about every musician ever born and so I'll still link to it at times. iTunes is a clunky place to visit and fairly unfriendly but since it offers a place to actually BUY music, I'll link there often too. I'll also frequently link to mail order places like Amazon and Interpunk, even though their selection varies widely. Of course, I also send people to musician's homepages or, on occasion, their Facebook page. Damn, I know there's a million more destinations but I'm always left wondering, do they help 'support the artist'?
One of the sites I'm most comfortable linking to is Bandcamp, which is becoming a better musical destination all the time.
Right now the homepage is still too focused on getting bands to sign-up and not enough on user-friendly features. There still needs to be more curating (some of which is done at sites listed here). I know some people dig just poking around but there are way more potential customers who will appreciate some further organization, such as being able to subscribe to certain genre tags. Regardless, I know from now on I'll try to make Bandcamp one of my go-to links for bands. Here's hoping more and more artists will pitch their tent there.
So readers, whether music sellers or musical consumers (or both), what do you make of Bandcamp and the various ways to make music available on-line?
