You may feel that you get enough junk in your email account- do you really want to subscribe to even more newsletters? We find that some of them are totally worth it. The following collection of music newsletters will provide you with updates on the current scene, but more to the point, they usually include some free mp3s.
These are Free mp3s, not sketchy illegal downloads.
Spin.com: Spin will sometimes send you several newsletters a week, and about once a month they attach a link or promo code to download some current tunes from current bands.
AllScandanavia: As we’ve mentioned previously, allscandnavia.com does a pretty good job of keeping you up to speed on musical movements in the northlands. And their website carries the MusicAlliance mp3 files. But their weekly newsletter is also worth getting. It features links to ten or more bands from the north and typically, about half of those have downloads attached.
About.com: Punk: We subscribe to several newsletters from about.com, but the Punk page, run by Ryan Cooper posts the most frequent free downloads, usually several a week. It’s a simple way to keep up with the punk scene.
Spinner: Unrelated to Spin, Spinner offers a free mp3 of the day and a look into the indie music scene. Many of the featured artists are unsigned, self-signed, or on small labels. But you’ll find bands you’ve heard of, as well as new treasures, by following their newsletter and picking up a few new songs a week.
Check out Ryan’s punk blog now, for info on 99 free tracks from Deep Elm. http://punkmusic.about.com/b/2012/10/04/free-punk-mp3s-download-99-free-tracks-from-deep-elm-records.htm?nl=1