Every Tuesday when the new music releases are available for sale at retail stores, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) offers those same albums as digital downloads, but at the same time they also offer a weekly free download that is often a band or artist that is not as well-known. This information may not be new to you (especially if you own an iPod and/or use iTunes), but it spurred me to think about how vital the internet and digital services are for little-known, unsigned, and young bands.

This service is a very useful tool for regional artists, as it obviously enlarges their base and introduces them to listeners who might not have the chance to see them perform. I'm always reminded of the Arctic Monkeys, who are from Sheffield, England. Now be honest and admit that you have no clue where that is. I had to look it up! Nevertheless, without digital services like MySpace and iTunes, the Arctic Monkeys would not have such a sizeable fanbase and consecutive successful albums within a year of release.

I've downloaded a few of the free tracks from iTunes and on the whole they are enjoyable. While they don't always entice me to check out the band's other material, it is still nice to see and hear new music quicker than I might have otherwise. MySpace is a very helpful way for young or unsigned band's to promote themselves, primarily because the site is so "user-friendly." Then there is the input the music magazines have, like NME, which actually has a MySpace page to promote unsigned bands (see www.myspace.com/nmeunsignedband). The descriptions of the bands even compare them to the Arctic Monkeys, but this may only reflect how vital NME was in promoting the Arctic Monkeys, as their popularity grew before the release of their first album (after they grew on the internet of course).