The Free Music Archive provides a curatorial approach to promoting and discovering music, and allows for the free, legal streaming and downloading of its library’s tracks.  Much like an opinion blog, the Free Music Archive acts as a tastemaker with the aid of user generated and suggested content which must first be approved by the site’s curators.  Every track on the site is handpicked and pre-cleared for personal use.  Users with uploading or editing privileges must be invited.  Initial funding for the Free Music Archive came from the New York State Music Fund, a program of the Rockefeller Philanthrophy Advisors.

SoundCloud is an online music collaboration and large music file management platform.  The company positioned itself as a digital music exchange offering but it’s so much more than that.  The SoundCloud audio player displays the waveform of the track, allowing listeners to view and intercept specific segments of the music and comment on it.  As an artist collaboration solution, artists can share, mix, and remix their music under the Creative Commons licensing designations, enabling the creative process to continue long after the master is ‘complete’.  I particularly like the fact that SoundCloud is a music-oriented digital distribution solution, making it super easy to send and receive music files within a community of producers, engineers, DJs, labels etc. who deal with hefty music files on a daily basis.