MUSIC
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If you wish your website to be added to this list call 0870
199 3871
or email : info@wessextouristboard.org.uk
818Music
www.818music.com
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818 Music is dedicated to giving new artists a break
by letting the listening public download their music
as MP3 files. As you might expect, 818 Music keeps
growing and there are now there are even more MP3s to
download and listen to! Visitors are invited to listen
to tracks selected by 818music before buying a hard
copy direct from the 818music online store. The site's
artist development program is growing larger with each
day and provides a relatively simple path to
recognition that many musical artists are
seeking.
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The Dance Music Resource Pages
www.juno.co.uk
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On first impressions the dance music resource pages
don't look up to much, because there is little colour,
no images and no logo. In fact this site is exactly
what it says it is, a resource, pure and simple. All
the latest dance music releases can be viewed by genre
and by the release date over the last week, two weeks
etc. In addition to viewing a list of the latest
releases, 40 second 'taster' MP3's are available for
each tune, which can then be bought direct from the
website's online store.
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Monster Guitars
www.monsterguitars.com
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Offering purely MP3's of guitar players Monster
Guitars is aptly named. There's no upload feature,
this site is based quite simply on people downloading
MP3's, which are sorted by the artist that created
them. Design, it has to be said, isn't the greatest in
the world, with all of the content being squeezed onto
a single page. However, as all of the available MP3's
are recorded by professional guitarists, the quality
is very good, and makes up for the appearance of the
page. With a little work, and with the design tidied
up this site good be even better than it already
is.
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AMP3.com
www.amp3.com
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AMP3.com offers over 1 million downloads, so whatever
genre of music you're into, there's bound to be tracks
here to suit your taste. The site is mainly text
based, so the pages load quickly. Every day there's a
featured artist as well as a 'pick hit' to have a
listen to. AMP3 is designed with artists in mind as
well as music lovers, and to that end has a Pay for
Play program where artists get compensated for all
their hard work. You'll also the usual software,
hardware and music reviews to help you choose the best
of what's available.
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Sonicnet - The online music network
www.sonicnet.com
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Sonicnet provides a complete information service for
all the latest music news, as well as MP3 and music
video downloads by a wide selection of well-known
artists. The search facility allows you to quickly
find what you're looking for and read a biography,
among other details, while listing to samples of the
bands latest releases. The website itself is very
stylised with great looking graphics and images on the
home page, which don't seem to slow down the site when
clicking through the numerous different
sections.
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MP3.com
www.mp3.com
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MP3.com is one of the more popular MP3 site around,
mostly due to it's highly obvious Web address, but
also because it has an absolutely vast database of
music that would keep even the fussiest of listeners
busy for hours. Not only does MP3.com allow you to
listen to and download songs, but you can also link
direct to their online store and buy the CD for those
times when you really must have it. Perhaps the most
dynamic aspect of MP3.com is that, as an artist, you
are able to promote your music, your live performances
and sell your CDs for free!
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Audiofind
www.audiofind.com
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In simple terms, Audiofind is a massive online
database of music and artist information with sample
songs, which can be played online or downloaded in MP3
format. An artist or song can be found by searching by
artist name and by browsing by initial or date. The
results are displayed in list format with an icon
links to an additional information page and the MP3
sample song. Although the homepage looks pretty flash,
the website itself is kept simple to minimise the
download time for each page and the search results.
Nevertheless the site still looks stylish and is easy
to navigate.
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Peoplesound.com
www.peoplesound.com
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Peoplesound enables amateur artists to submit their
music in various formats to be downloaded and heard by
anyone and everyone who's interested. New artists can
be found by browsing your favourite kind of music or
by conducting a search of the massive Peoplesound
database. Entire songs can be downloaded for free in
MP3 format or played online, if you like what you hear
you can buy the CD direct from peoplesound.com.
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Ministry of Sound
www.ministryofsound.co.uk
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Having grown from a humble nightclub into a global
empire, Ministry of Sound has branched out onto the
web in a big way. This busy site features the latest
dance music news and features but that's just the tip
of the iceberg.
A streaming radio station pumps out banging tunes 24
hours a day, while Ministry TV utilises Realplayer
technology to deliver video interviews with some of
the biggest DJs in the world.
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Opera Base
www.operabase.com
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The popularity of Classic FM and the omnipresence of
opera music on adverts and television programmes
proves that opera is no longer thought of as only for
people with diamond tiaras and weekend retreats in the
country.
This sprawling site will delight anyone with even the
slightest interest in the art form, with reviews of
the latest productions and a useful guide to more than
500 opera houses worldwide, complete with maps and
booking details.
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CDDB
www.cddb.com
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This is the world's largest database of CD titles and
tracks and no matter how hard you try to stump it,
from the most obscure artist to the most famous, it's
likely to have a listing.
Best of all, though, is the way that it will
automatically identify audio CDs played in your CD-ROM
drive. Just download a compatible player from the site
and every time you listen to a CD, the artist, track
titles and times will appear as if by magic.
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Ultimate Band List
www.ubl.com
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This site started out as a simple yet effective way
of listing every single music and fan site on the web
but has mutated into so much more. Not only will it
helpfully direct you to a plethora of sites devoted to
your favourite artist but also includes its own
informative content and an online shop. Yet it still
serves its primary function very well, helpfully
grouping sites into those which have multimedia
content, those which are run by fans and so on.
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Warp Records
www.warprecords.co.uk
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A leftfield dance label from Sheffield, Warp has used
the web as something more than a mere promotional tool
by imbuing the whole site with a real sense of
identity.
Stylish design and good use of animation draw you in,
while generous archives of video clips and sound files
from the likes of Aphex Twin will either be music to
your ears or frighten you to death, depending on your
tastes. If you like what you hear, you can browse for
those rare singles in the online shop.
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Roots World
www.rootsworld.com
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This fascinating site is devoted to world and 'roots'
music, covering artists from the four corners of the
globe.
Alongside reviews and interviews with the artists
concerned, you'll find loads of streaming Real Audio
clip, so you can try before you buy. The colourful
layout and regularly updated content make this a site
you'll be keen to return to again and again. There's
also the option to sign up for a weekly email
newsletter.
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Classical Net
www.classical.net
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If your passion is classical music then there's no
better place to start surfing than Classical Net.
Providing a point of entry to thousands of reviews,
articles and informative overviews of major and
lesser-known works, it can greatly enhance your
understanding and appreciation of a
composer.
There are also links to other classical music sites
on the Internet, allowing you to learn at your own
pace away from the sometimes stuffy and oppressive
atmosphere of the concert hall.
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Global Music Network
www.gmn.com
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The Global Music Network can really enhance your
understanding of a piece of music, whether through
listening to it for the first time, watching a
background video or reading more about the performers
and composers.
From early baroque through to Dixieland jazz and
right up to the present day, you're sure to find
something that takes your fancy. It's also nice to see
that lots of thought has gone into the design of the
site in order to ensure that the impressive multimedia
elements don't obscure the excellent content.
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Bowie Net
www.davidbowie.com
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The Thin White Duke has embraced the Internet with a
fervour unmatched by any other artist.
This portal site gives access to six sites relating
to all things Bowie. One offers you the chance to view
his artwork online while another is a more typical
site giving you news on his latest releases, a
biography and so on.
Perhaps most interesting, however, is Bowie Net, an
ISP set up specifically for Bowie fans. Members can
read extracts from David's own personal diary and even
collaborate on songs with him.
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Love 4 One Another
www.love4oneanother.com
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He might be completely bonkers, but Prince (or the
squiggle by which he prefers to be called these days)
certainly knows how to put together a web site. Aside
from being graphically sumptuous and purely icon
driven, Love 4 One Another also has a serious point to
make about the greed of the record industry.
Together with articles promising a brave new world of
democratic music distribution, you'll find several
exclusive and unreleased tracks available for
download.
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Radiohead
www.radiohead.com
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This critically lauded band are having a few teething
troubles with their fourth album. We know this because
their excellent website features a regularly updated
online diary from guitarist Johnny
Greenwood.
Giving fans a real insight into the workings of the
band, he pulls no punches and also uploads photographs
regularly to the site. A well used message board, the
latest news and a smart design in keeping with the
band's image complete a great site.
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Steps Official
www.stepsofficial.com
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If you're fed up with pompous rock bands and
monotonous dance music then turn to every schoolgirls
favourite band for a little light relief.
Colourful and fun, this official site is well stocked
with Steptacular content. The diary will keep you up
to date with bands antics while the extensive profiles
of each band member will tell you everything from
their height to, inevitably, their favourite colour.
There's even animated instructions to their dance
routines so you can jump around in front of the mirror
to your hearts content.
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Manic Street Preachers
www.manics.co.uk
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Following their Millennium Eve extravaganza, the much
loved Manics have vowed not to play live again this
year. So this smoothly designed website is probably
the closest their fanatical followers will be able to
get to the Welsh trio.
With more history and baggage than many other bands
there was always going to be scope to produce a good
site, but the designers here have done an excellent
job in capturing the spirit of the band.
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Blur
www.blur.co.uk
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One of the most consistently excellent British bands
of the last 10 years, Blur have produced a similarly
excellent site here.
The design is slightly obtuse and hard to navigate
but then even that mirrors the band's recent musical
direction. Aside from up to date news of tours,
releases and so on, the main attraction is the video
wall, which takes advantage of some neat embedded
technology to showcase the band.
Then there's music and video clips galore, an
illustrated discography and a well written potted
biography.
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The Oasis
www.theoasis.co.uk
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As is so often the case on the web, this unofficial
site run by a besotted teenage fan knocks spots off
the official version.Slavishly updated every day with
even the merest sniff of any news about the
Gallaghers, you'll also find a comprehensive
discography and some highly entertaining Real Audio
files of Liam in full flow. You can test your devotion
in the Oasis quiz and chat about how they're not as
good as they used to be on the message board.
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Public Enemy
www.public-enemy.com
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They may not be the incendiary musical force they
once were but the members of Public Enemy still
influence just about every hip-hop act in the world
today.Leader Chuck D is also in the vanguard of the
online music revolution and you'll often find new
tracks available here months before they're released
in the shops. The stylised design suits the content
well and you'll also find all the usual biographies,
news and discographies.
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MTV
www.mtv.co.uk
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The MTV UK site does not follow the normal pattern of
news and album reviews. Instead you it has some
information on the shows and the presenters, plus some
cool interactive features which let you create you own
dance music online. You will need the Macromedia
Shockwave plugin for that, but it is fun to play with.
And to top it all off there are a few interviews with
artists like Jamiroquai, Suede and Boyzone.
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Music999.com
www.music999.com
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Whatever you are looking for, you'll find it here on
Music999. It has the latest news from the world of
music, as well as reviews of albums and singles. But
it also has a huge amount of links to other sites.
There are hundreds of links to band sites, so you can
find all your favourite items, and there are links to
all the important MP3 sites. You can even find links
to festival sites and the music industry.
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S Club 7
www.sclub.com
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If you want to see this site in all its glory you
will need Macromedia Flash, and the files do take some
time to download, but they are probably worth the
wait. In addition to biogs on the members of the band,
you also get to read the lyrics to their song, and of
course there is a large section devoted to the band's
TV series, Miami 7. And as if that is not enough you
can join the club, registering online to get all the
latest S Club 7 news mailed to your inbox.
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Spice Girls
www.virginrecords.com/newspice/index.html
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There are no end of unofficial sites devoted to the
Spice Girls, all put together by ardent fans, but this
is the official site. There are the usual pictures and
biographies and a link to the SpiceWorld The Movie
site, but most fans will come here for the
downloadable video and audio clips. There are plenty
of videos of the band being interviewed and live
versions of their songs, and when we visited the site
you could see the new Spice Girls video for their
single Goodbye exclusively online.
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B*Witched
www.b-witched.com
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If you are a B*witched fan you probably already know
all about this site. It has the usual stuff here,
including the story of the band, profiles of the girls
and news of their upcoming records. You can download
wallpapers and screensavers and you can even nominate
yourself to be featured on the site itself by filling
in an online questionnaire explaining why you think
you are the world's greatest B*witched fan.
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Blur
www.blur.co.uk
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Most music stars' web sites are a little thin on
content and the design is pretty unimaginative. Blur
stand out from the crowd with this extremely cool
site. The graphics are impressive, but so is the
content. There are loads of samples of tracks to
listen to in RealPlayer format and the Blur VideoWall
may take a while to download, but it is well worth the
wait. It is cobbled together from Blur's videos, but
it is so imaginative that the result is
fascinating.
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Steps
stepsofficial.com
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Listen to the music, do the dance. Not only do you
get the usual photos and band profile on the official
Steps website, you get to learn how to do the dances.
There are eight tracks listed, including Tragedy and
Last Thing On My Mind, and for each song there is a
written description of the steps, but you also get a
little rolling slideshow of Steps themselves doing the
dance, so you will get a much better idea of how it
goes. There is also a lively forum session and online
chat with other Steps fans.
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Top of the Pops
www.totp.beeb.com
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There is far more to the Top of the Pops site than
just seeing who is going to be on the show next week.
There is a busy news section full of showbiz gossip,
interviews with the stars, a run-down of the current
chart and news of who is touring at the moment. If you
want to get more involved you can ask a question of
Pop Sherlock, enter one of the competitions or even
post your own reviews on the site. Phew!
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