Aspiring musical artists vying for a shot at stardom and listeners hoping to expand their musical horizons have a new source: Jamendo.
Jamendo is the world's No. 1 platform for free and legal music downloads. It has songs from more than 60 countries under Creative Commons licenses, with more than 400,000 members worldwide, according to freepressreleases.com.
Students enrolled in Miami University's Entrepreneurial Marketing (ESP 366), taught by Mark Lacker, are currently working to spread awareness about Web site.
People can make donations directly to artists of their choice, an act akin to placing change into an artist's guitar case.
The site, according to junior Lauren Clark, is wildly popular in Europe and is slowly gaining popularity in the states.
Jamendo may hit closer to Oxford than one would expect.
Creative Commons licensing is based in Luxembourg, home of the Miami University European Dolibois Center. Clark also said Miami graduate Gerard Lopez, and an investor in Skype, recently invested in the site.
Not only may new artists use the site to gain free exposure-allowing listeners to explore different genres-but it also doubles as a social networking site.
Music can be legally downloaded free of charge directly into iTunes by clicking on the download link located on the Jamendo music player.
By navigating through the site, one can also search for popular artists and favorite genres and if a band strikes a positive chord with a listener, users can add to blogs, make referrals and comment on groups.
"Jamendo can be thought of as a combination of iTunes and MySpace," Clark said.
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Even Oxford-based groups are getting in on the action. Cavashawn, made up of 2008 Miami alumni and now based in Los Angeles, is on the site.
However with more than 12,000 published albums, students may listen to more than local bands.
"Because there (are) a lot of international bands on the site, to a new user, it can be difficult to know where to start and who to search for," Clark said.
Fortunately for those interested, part of the plan developed by Clark and her classmates is to provide a playlist to introduce students to Jamendo.
Junior Alyssa Schneider, a newcomer to the Jamendo community, said she likes the site.
"I think this Web site is a great concept," she said. "I love finding new music and this is the perfect tool for me to do so."
To access the site visit http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/27939?refuid=487198
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