Related Posts
Free Psytrance – there are different ways of “free”
There are many legal options to get legal and free Psytrance streams and download. Find out where and how to get your free music!
We all, especially the producers, know that not many people out there are willing to pay for music nowadays. Often, copyrighted music is downloaded by consumers through various means of free file distribution without payment to the artist.
Bandcamp
Bandcamp was founded in 2007, providing an online music store as well as a platform for artist promotion, which is mainly used by independent artists.Bandcamp provides customizable microsites for artists and labels where music can be uploaded and shared, and features information on the artist, social media links, and also merchandising links. All tracks can be played for free on the website and users are provided with the option to purchase the album or a specific track at customizable prices, often completely for free. The site also allows for artists to offer free music downloads with the option to donate to the artist or to receive a free track or album by joining the artist’s email list.
This is a shame because there are many possibilities to legally listen to and download music for free and still support the artists.
While it has always been a good option for newcomers to offer their music for free to get their sound out to the scene, more and more well-known producers are also releasing some of their music for free.
Times seem to be changing. 95% of Beatport sales go to DJs, consumers don’t buy music there, considering that 150 sales are enough to reach the top of the Beatport Psytrance charts it is clear that music sales don’t generate any significant reach. Artists are more or less forced to concentrate their monetizing efforts on gigs, and to get gigs they can’t rely on music sales anymore, they are more or less forced to give their music away for free, at least those that are not fortunate enough to be promoted by the few major labels that exist.
Ektoplazm
Ektoplazm is a website entirely devoted to free-of-charge psychedelic trance. Founded in 2001 by Basilisk, Ektoplazm is now the world’s largest distributor of free (and legal) Psytrance music specializing in high-quality Creative Commons-licensed content from netlabels and independent artists, all in MP3 andlossless CD-quality FLAC and WAV formats. More than 50 million tracks have been downloaded by music lovers all over the planet. A lot of meanwhile wellknown artists such as Sephira debuted on Ektoplazm and even Psytrance legends like ManMadeMan have released some of their music for free here. In 2012 Ektoplazm successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign to fund a massive redevelopment of the web site. Ektoplazm is currently in the midst of it’s metamorphosis; expect a fresh new look and feel as well as a dramatically improved service.
Bad for the artists who can’t survive off exposure alone and rely on people to buy their music, good for the listeners, who can sieve a lot of excellent free music out of the net. We had a look around and would like to show you a few sources of free Psytrance music where you can download loads of tracks for free and also online radio stations where you can listen to endless Psytrance streams. There is Mixcloud where you can find a lot of Psytrance mixes to listen to online, and Soundcloud, where besides streaming loads of music you can also download some for free, then there are several good and up-to-date online psytrance radiostations, and there are sites such as Bandcamp, which offer free streamable content, while providing artists the ability to set variable pricing, ranging from free to paid options, allowing for more choice for potential customers, and allowing controlled access to the music without need for payment. This flexibility in balancing free content with flexible payment methods allows for the artists to compete with unauthorized content by providing alternative means of digital distribution. You can find entire labels such as Phi Records and Sun Station which release for free on Bandcamp. Also there is Re:Volt, a new psytrance download portal where you can find a lot of free tracks to download aside paid downloads as known from Beatport.
Free Psytrance Radio Stations
Psytrance radio stations are mainly hobby projects by individuals dedicating themselves to the scene and mainly broadcasting DJ sets and live sets from acts around the world. Some have been around a long time, for example the Chromanova.fm radio station was founded by DJ Nesjaja in 1999. Chromanova doesn’t only play DJ sets and live sets from liveacts around the world but also frequently streams audio live from parties, giving it a unique position in the Psy radio station landscape. Hirschmilch.de was founded in 2008 by baq and features 5 channels, meanwhile including other genres such as progressive house and a voting system so that content users vote up is played more frequently. .
Psyradio.fm is perhaps the most prominent Psy radio station, founded in 2004 by Klinki, and featuring a unique and minimal user interface, 4 channels, and also a voting system.
The top 10 free Psytrance sources
ektoplazm.com – world’s largest free Psytrance source
bandcamp.com/tag/psytrance – free streams and downloads
psymedia.co.za/free-music – free dj mix downloads
revoltdigital.co.uk/top-100-free-tracks – beatport alternative with free tracks
mixcloud.com/discover/psytrance – DJ mixes and live set streams
psyradio.fm – wellknown Psy radio with 4 channels
chromanova.fm – fine Psy radio with live streams
di.fm/goapsy – another good Psy radio station
hirschmilch.de – Psy radio station with 5 channels
psytrance-radio.cz – Czech Psy radio station
This article appeared first in our print edition.
