Phree Phreakin' Phriday Returns: The Current (UPDATED 3/13/06)

I can't say it's perfect but Minnesota Public Radio's The Current is the best alternative station on the Minneapolis FM dial. And now they even have some free stuff. While it's a pretty stingy track per week, it is a free download... and there is a lot of other music content on the site, if you're into, you know... streaming. A good way to get onto other loci of artists doing free samples, anyway.

UPDATE 3/13/06

I received the following request via email this morning:

Hi there,

I’m the Director of Marketing at Quango Music Group and I’m writing because you have a free download link on your site for Bitter:Sweet’s single “The Mating Game”.

First, thank you so much for supporting the band and featuring them on your site. That link was originally intended for a specific promotion with The Current (Minnesota Public Radio) and our promotion with them is now over. We’d be grateful if you could now remove the link from your site, and link instead to their ecard so that your viewers can still preview the band’s music without necessarily downloading it.

Your support and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Jared

Jared Barboza

Director of Marketing

Quango Music Group

Now I'd like to make a few comments about this. First, as it's noted in the FAQs, I am happy to honor any requests about the linking of content on this site from artists or their representatives. There are a lot of legal grey areas on the internet and at times I think that the intellectual exercise of debating their outcomes can distract us from more basic principles - like simply respecting productive artists. My email is in my profile. I will reproduce communications from requests to explain editing decisions that are motivated by outside input.

Second, take a look at how polite and friendly that letter is. I bet there are a lot of Directors of Marketing of Music Groups who could learn a thing or two from Jared Barboza about professional communications. That letter was so nice I couldn't wait to come over here and revise this post.

Finally, on a more personal note: Jared Barboza: Fantastic Name. You could do anything with a name like Jared Barboza. I mean, you could Direct Marketing at a Music Group sure, easy. But you could also pitch in The Show, or be an Ultimate Fighting Challenger, or the new up-and-coming hearthrob bad boy on the latest late-teen evening drama.

Here's that link - you can preview songs from Bitter:Sweet album The Mating Game (due out March 14) through a flash-based music player there. Check it out, it's really quite good.

Bitter:Sweet

And you can check out the new weekly download at the Current's website, first link above. The download links are midway down the page in the right-hand column

Don't know what this is? Read the FAQ

The Phree Musique Store