Exile On MP3 Street

I understand why up and coming bands put out free music: to let people know they exist and hear what they sound like. I understand why record companies with new albums to promote give away samples: to encourage fans to buy the album and generate some buzz. But guess sometimes people just give it away because they want to.

I guess today's download falls into that third category. As bands go, they don't get much bigger than the Rolling Stones. As events go, you would think the release of a remastered version of Exile On Main Street would create a major splash without too much marketing effort. So it is great to see they've made a version of All Down The Line available free - presumably, just because they can rather than because they have to. My only gripe is the download is time limited and runs out on Sunday, so you'd better get it quick!

As an aside, I was pleased to discover that Amazon UK is giving some free downloads. I keep coming across USA only downloads from Amazon but this is the first time I've noticed a UK freebie. I've signed up for their Twitter feed so hopefully I'll get more notice of future offers.