Pandora and Soundcloud may be awesome, but the web is full of even more creative, fun, and useful music websites. There are numerous ways to engage with music apart from just listening to it. From crafting your own tunes to converting different formats, here are 10 amazing free sites that all music lovers will find handy — and slightly addictive.
1. Unhearit
The concept behind Unheartit is brilliantly simple: got a song stuck inside your head? Kick it out with something even catchier! The creators claim they are using the latest in reverse-auditory-melodic-unstickification technology to give 100 per cent results. Try it yourself!
2. Concert Vault
This is a huge directory containing live concert records that you can steam online. Jamiroquai at Woodstock ’99 or Ella Fitzgerald Birthday Tribute in 1978 — you name it. There are various channels to choose from — country, rock, jazz, blues, indie, and more. Plus, you can create personal playlists, queue songs for listening, browse interviews, watch videos, and search by name, album, or song. Concert Vault is an essential resource for everyone loving the classic beats. Still, the best is when you find a concert you’ve attended and get lost in the memories.
3. 2conv
Heard a tune in a Youtube video and desperately trying to get it on your phone? That’s easy with 2conv.com — a free convertor to extract mp3 tunes from videos. Simply paste the url and download the file within a few seconds. You can also download 2conv to use it straight from your laptop, tablet, or phone. Compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
4. Beat Lab
Beat Lab is an awesome free beatmaker, equally enjoyable for pros and newbies. Tap the grid and mix a new cool tune in just a few minutes. You can upload personal tracks and sounds or choose from a massive collection on site. Adjust speed from slow to OMG-fast, regulate volume and change genres to create unique melodies. Beat Lab also has an active community where you can look for inspiration, ask for advice, and get feedback on your music.
5. Gnoosic
Want to discoverer new songs outside the genres you typically listen to? Try gnoosic, a search engine that helps you discover music that’s new to you. Answer a few simple questions — such as, what’s your favorite band? — and the engine will suggest performers that you may also enjoy. You can refine your experience by marking the tracks with like/don’t like/don’t know. My music suggestions turned out to be pretty accurate and I discovered some great tracks to add to my playlist. Currently, the site’s database contains a few thousand tunes, so you are bound to find something you like.
6. Listen to Wikipedia
You would never think that Wikipedia could sound so great! Listen to Wikipedia creates a melody based on recent article edits made. Bell jingles signal additions to a page, while plucks signal removals. The bigger the edit was, the deeper the pitch is. The tune is never same and never stops. Plus, you can choose to listen to edits made in the different languages that Wikipedia supports. The sound is truly fascinating and very relaxing.
7. Seaquence
The description on the Seaquence homepage is pretty vague and confusing: Adopting a biological metaphor, you can create and combine musical lifeforms resulting in an organic, dynamic composition. However, press go and give it a try. You have your colorful form of life on display and you can help it grow by adding new body parts via a grid-based beatmaker. Adjust the grid and change your pet color to get another melody and mix the sounds. It’s just too fun to stop.
8. This Is My Jam
The name says it all. This is my Jam is the community where everyone can share their ultimate song for today. The one that you’ve listened to countless times on repeat, that means something for you and helps you get things done faster. Users can create curated playlists based on the jams shared by other people, upload their own, like others, re-jam tunes, and follow users with similar musical tastes. This is my Jam is a fantastic place to discover truly great tunes curated by similarly minded people.
9. Every Noise At Once
Have you ever pretended you totally knew what “new jack swing” is just to impress someone? Well, Every Noise at Once will help you discover all the weird and wonderful music genres that exist today. It’s a scatter-plot map of genre names. You can click to listen to an example song and click again to get a list of bands and singers. Now, who knows how Japanese psychedelic sounds or the names of four solipsynthm bands?
10. Blues Maker
Whenever you feel blue, try playing around with Blues Maker. You can create your own sad song by choosing words and adding different harmonic effects. Afterwards, the site will turn it into a short blues song sang with a raspy man voice. A beautifully designed time-killer which can inspire you to compose some blues lyrics yourself.
