The Walla Recovery · The Walla Recovery is on Earbits Radio

The Walla Recovery is on Earbits Radio

Posted on 5.22.13 · by Zack

Now you can listen to us and discover new music on Earbits Free Online Radio.

Earbits is curated streaming radio for independent music. I've been trying it out the past few weeks, and wanted to tell you my thoughts.

Earbits is similar to Pandora in that it does a pretty good job of introducing you to new music you haven't heard, but that you will probably enjoy. It's different from Pandora in that there are no ads.

No. Ads.

Amazing, right? It's possible that Earbits doesn't feel the need to cram a commercial in between every 4-7 songs because it works from a unique philosophy: That helping listeners connect with independent artists is important and viable. I'll try to explain how...

Earbits will play independent music for you right now from among about 10,000 different artists and bands that have been approved and curated by their editors and supervisors. They have playlists to get you started, arranged by genre and subgenre, geographical music scenes around the US, listeners' and editors' picks, eclectic/shuffle, and more. Choose your preference to start playing, and they will deliver an endless rotation to you. You can "favorite" songs that you really like to get back to them later.

However, many of us want more control over what we are listening to, so Earbits lets you have that, too. By connecting via Facebook, you can choose a specific song to play next by searching for an artist or finding one in the editors' picks. You can queue any number of songs into the playlist or hear a whole album by a particular musician or band. Open a new tab right now and try it out with our album With Trembling...

So far, I've listened to the "Live in Austin" channel quite a bit, and I also streamed Allen Stone's entire new self-titled album. Earbits gives you what they call Groovies so you can spend them to make these song choices. You have 500 of these to begin and then you can earn more by connecting with the artists or spreading the word about their music online. This is where the uniqueness of Earbits really comes to light. From the Earbits website:

"The reason we invented Groovies is simple. Artists deserve to get something for creating the music you love. Most services accomplish this by cluttering up your experience with commercials and ads, or charging you subscription fees.

But arent there better ways to give value back to the bands? We think so.

Groovies are a new form of currency that rewards you for supporting our artists. Tell your friends about a new band. Join an artists fan page or mailing list. Check in to a live show. These things actually provide incredible value to artists. Now, were keeping track and letting artists know how much you support them. In return, theyre giving you access to free music and a whole lot more.

If it sounds revolutionary, thats because it is. Earbits is the first music service that you pay for by supporting artists. Theres nothing else like it, and its going to change the way artists reach new audiences and build their careers. Its also going to keep your experience free from ads and commercials."

"Earbits offers about 300 channels of hand-picked independent music. You can listen to the radio-style channels as much as you want. Blend them together to form your own channels and find channels that other people have built. As long as were picking the music, you dont need Groovies to listen. But, if you want to play a whole album by your favorite Earbits artist, you gotta use some Groovies. Thats how we make sure that artists are getting support for creating the art we love."

What do you think? What will the effect of Earbits be vs. Pandora and/or Spotify? Where do you find new music? Let me know in the comments...

  

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