Name: TuneCrank
URL: http://www.tunecrank.com

The meet-and-greet tradition upon which the music industry operates is a necessary evil… or is it? Websites like TuneCrank are here to bring that hegemony down.

In general terms, this site lets just anybody upload his tunes and have them streamed to whomever is willing to give them a good listen. The process is wholly free, and what TuneCrank aims to do is give just everybody a chance to be discovered, in a framework in which there are no favoritisms of any kind. On TuneCrank, all that matters is the quality of what you are uploading, not whose back you are scratching.

Amateur players, buskers, seasoned performers looking to finally land a deal… all these and more can turn to this site in order to start promoting their art.

Of course, how successful this can become depends on: A) How many musicians actively take to it, and B) How many people begin voting for the best selections that are featured. Personally, I hope “the journey from A to B” (yes, I have been listening to Badly Drawn Boy a lot lately) is a smooth one. Any site that puts musicians and punters in such a direct relation deserves not to go unnoticed.