Want to listen to music for free without the nagging worry that an unidentified agent of the industry will bust down your door and smear mayonnaise all around the internals of your computer? The Free Music Archive, borne out of legendary radio station WFMU, has been putting your mind at ease since 2009, as its essential modus operandi is to offer an ever-expanding library of music that’s legally downloadable and free, and which, depending on the license associated with a given track, can potentially be used for open-source purposes. You won’t find much of a Radiohead presence in the archive itself, but who needs all of that label-sponsored stuff when you have thousands of other tracks as possible bases for your upcoming reeeeemiiiiiiix?
The FMA is a kick-ass, noble, non-profit endeavor, which is why you should totally contribute to their first-ever fundraiser, set up by Director Cheyenne Hohman with an eye towards general site improvements — something that hasn’t really happened since the site went live six years ago. At present, they’ve raised about 8% of their $50k goal, and even though there’s a mild irony in contributing money to something that’s otherwise free by default and proclamation, it’s easy to ignore all that for the sake of something that’s very obviously worthwhile.
Here’s the link to donate, and let Hohman herself count the ways in which FMA warrants your support:
More about: WFMU
